SHOULD MEDICINAL MARIJUANA BE LEGAL?

Medical experts say marijuana can help patients manage chronic pain

A growing number of people, including doctors, judges and politicians are
giving marijuana the official nod of approval for several medicinal uses.

The Canadian Alliance recently called for a free vote in the House of
Commons on the issue of medicinal marijuana.

Neither the Liberals nor the Progressive Conservatives have a problem with
medicinal use of marijuana. Recreational use is a different story.

However, the NDP would like to see the drug completely decriminalized.

"The law is absurd," says Svend Robinson, NDP member of parliament for
Burnaby Douglas. "It's absolutely cruel to deny a person who is suffering
pain something that can ease their suffering."

John McNeill, a professor in the University of British Columbia's
department of pharmaceutical sciences, agrees that marijuana can be helpful
in pain management.

"People say they use it and it decreases their pain, increases their
appetite and decreases pressure," he says.

Medicinal marijuana is commonly used to help prevent nausea and vomiting in
patients suffering from cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis and other
diseases. It also reduces pain and stimulates appetite, helping to slow
weight loss in patients.

While a "marijuana pill" is available, patients who suffer from nausea and
vomiting sometimes have difficulty taking oral medication. Smoking
marijuana generates faster and more predictable results.

In Canada, marijuana is still considered an illicit drug. A handful of
people who suffer from chronic illness have been granted an exemption. They
are legally permitted to smoke marijuana but do not have access to a safe,
reliable and affordable supply.

Marijuana was first used therapeutically in China more than 5,000 years
ago. Although there is significant scientific evidence supporting the
medicinal use of marijuana, some still want to keep the substance banned.

Opponents of marijuana fear that long-term, heavy use may cause brain
damage and that users may experiment with stronger, more dangerous drugs.

In his testimony before the American Crime Subcommittee on cannabis
(marijuana) three years ago, Dr. Lester Grinspoon, associate professor of
psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, supported the medicinal use of
marijuana: "Cannabis (marijuana) is remarkably safe. Although not harmless,
it is surely less toxic than most of the conventional medicines it could
replace if it were legally available."

Grinspoon says that some widely used drugs, such as aspirin or ibuprofen,
have been linked to stomach bleeding and ulcers, causing 7,000 death each
year in the U.S.

He maintains that marijuana is far safer. "Despite its use by millions of
people over thousands of years, (marijuana) has never caused an overdose
death."

But he points out that smoking marijuana is not risk-free. "The most
serious concern is respiratory-system damage from smoking," explains Grinspoon.

As cases of cancer, AIDS and multiple sclerosis increase, law-makers in
Ottawa need to have a serious discussion on medicinal marijuana.

Patients in Canada won't let the issue blow over.

Tell us What You Think

Do you marijuana should be legalized for medicinal use? Why or why not?

Students, please e-mail your questions or comments to
llovric@pacpress.southam.ca or leave your comment at 605-2071 and include
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