|
Legalize it? N.J.
weighs medicinal marijuana
Home News Tribune Online 06/4/06
By JOHN MAJESKI
STAFF WRITER
jmajeski@thnt.com
When the wave of pain brought
on by her multiple sclerosis sets in, Patty Jurick
said she only has one thing to turn to for relief.
Problem is, she has to break the law.
"God
knows I'm not bragging, and I'm not proud," said the Middlesex County resident, who has been smoking
marijuana to alleviate the symptoms of her disease for about a year.
"But it comes to the point where I'm going to do what I have to
do."
Jurick, 42, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis — a progressive
illness that has sent her crashing to the floor in physical agony on
countless occasions — as a young adult. She said she has tried all of the
pain relievers traditional and non-traditional medicine
have to offer. But the thing that makes things tolerable and assists
with mobility the best, she said, is marijuana.
"You
want to call me a drug addict, fine," said the blond-haired Jurick, who must use a wheelchair or walker to get
around.
A
bill that would legalize medical marijuana — and decriminalize the activities
of people such as Jurick — is to be discussed by
state legislators on Thursday. Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, head of the
Senate health panel, called for the hearing at which experts will speak.
According
to the Associated Press, the Assembly has not set any hearings, but Gov. Jon Corzine has previously expressed support for such a law.
Sen.
Nicholas Scutari, D-Union, said he proposed the
legislation a while back, but this will be its first hearing. No vote is to
take place.
"This
is an enormous first step in starting a dialogue," Scutari
said of Thursday's hearing. "Anything that has a potential for
controversy takes time."
The
Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office declined to comment on the upcoming
hearing, while several local hospitals did not provide a physician to speak
about the matter.
As
proposed, the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act would apply
to people with "debilitating medical conditions" such as cancer,
multiple sclerosis and HIV. Qualifying patients would receive a
"registry identification card" and would be able to possess no more
than six marijuana plants and one ounce of usable marijuana.
"I
think the bill is a compassionate measure to help people in the worst stages
of their life," said Scutari, noting his
mother has multiple sclerosis and would likely benefit from the law.
"Why shouldn't we do this?"
But
David G. Evans, executive director of the Drug-Free Schools Coalition in
Flemington, said he has long held an answer to that question.
"What
this bill does is provide that somebody can smoke marijuana for a variety of
medical conditions when there is no scientific evidence it helps them,"
he said, adding at least one study shows marijuana can compromise immune
systems. "We have to go beyond the emotion and ask what is best for sick
people as a whole.
Evans
said the legislation carries enormous potential for abuse and does nothing to
address concerns such as marijuana quality and dosage.
"I'm
not against using any plant as medicine, as long as it goes through the FDA
process," he added.
The
U.S. Food and Drug Administration opposes medical
marijuana, according to The Associated Press, while the American Medical
Association, National Cancer Institute, American Cancer Society and National
Multiple Sclerosis Society also do not support it. The National Academy of
Sciences, on the other hand, has found that marijuana can help patients with
certain debilitating conditions.
And
here in the Garden State, the New Jersey State Nurses
Association also backs the use of the plant for medical purposes.
"We're
saying for a limited number of (situations) . . . it brings patients from
having a painful existence to being able to live their lives," said
Director Sharon Rainer. "When this is prescribed under controlled
circumstances, they do very well."
For
example, said Rainer — who is expected to speak at Thursday's hearing —
marijuana has been particularly helpful for those with glaucoma.
"Sometimes
this is the only thing that really helps in the end," she said.
Supporting
the Scutari legislation is simply the right thing
to do, said the founders of the Coalition for
Medical Marijuana — New Jersey.
"We're
trying to remove the sick and wounded from the battlefield of the war on
drugs," said Executive Director Ken Wolski.
"Why should patients be made to suffer needlessly?"
Co-founder
and President Jim Miller has long been an advocate for medical marijuana. His
wife, Cheryl, would often ease the pain generated by her multiple sclerosis
by eating what he called "marijuana butter."
"It
also loosened her muscles . . . to make her therapy more productive," he
said of his wife, who died in 2003. "She wouldn't hurt."
Miller
sees Thursday's hearing as a major step.
"I
would not be surprised if this time next year this was close to being
legal," he said.
Which is exactly what people like Jurick
are hoping for.
"I'm
not a criminal," she said.
On
the Web:
www.nationalmssociety.org/Sourcebook-Marijuana.asp
The
Cherylheart Foundation:
www.cherylheart.org/
Drug
Free America Federation:
www.dfaf.org/marijuana/
Coalition
for Medical
Marijuana
New
Jersey:
www.cmmnj.org
John
Majeski:
(732)
565-7260;
jmajeski@thnt.com
|
