MEDICAL MARIJUANA AND NEW YORK

Though some may not know it,medical use of marijuana is legal in several states including neighboring New Jersey.Glaucoma,anorexia(loss of appetite),chronic pain,chronic vomiting,HIV and cancer related medical conditions are the commonest indications. In some states like Maine and Michigan it is also used in patient's with Alzheimer's disease.

So what about New York? Actually,in the 1980s, New York State Health Department did distribute this to patients through research channels. However due to political reasons and lack of satisfactory control measures the project was abandoned and state run medical marijuana programs were closed down. A medication called Marinol which was 'marijuana in a pill form' was approved by the F.D.A. and this was supposed to be the safer form of cannabis with comparable benefits.(Over the years that has not proven to be true.)

The bill that is pending in N.Y.State legislature is stricter than most other states.It requires that patients be certified by a medical doctor to have a debilitating or life threatening condition to justify use.Recipients are then to be issued a 1 year permit and research reports on the subject reviewed annually.

Advocates of the bill state that marijuana for medical use is justifiable just based on cost and side effect profile of the drug.Pain medication can cost thousands of dollars a year compared to marijuana.The relative lack of side effects is another point in its favor.Opponents of the bill are concerned that there has not been enough research and double-blind studies done on marijuana to make it a legal F.D.A. approved drug.They are also concerned that it might make it more accessible to kids( a fact that has not been proven,by the way,in states where medical marijuana is legal). A third factor that has come in the way of medical marijuana is the push to legalize marijuana for recreational use.This has become so controversial that it has jettisoned and sabotaged the support for medical marijuana approval.

What are the true facts about marijuana?
It has been shown to be useful in several conditions but particularly in glaucoma,severe acute or chronic pain from various causes especially cancer,nausea and vomiting from cancer chemotherapy.It has also been used in HIV and AIDS related symptoms including loss of appetite.

It has not been studied well enough to establish its use but there is a lot of ongoing research.Though it has not been directly linked to lung cancer,it is inhaled and therefore it does affect lung function.

Marijuana has been shown to produce dependence at rates comparable to other drugs of abuse and relapse rates among individuals seeking treatment for marijuana dependence are similar to those with other drugs of abuse.Furthermore, many violent crimes are committed by individuals undergoing withdrawal from drugs of abuse, including marijuana.So it is certainly not an innocuous substance.

If approved medical use of marijuana in New York will be extremely controlled and very strict guidelines will be enforced including restricting who can prescribe it and close monitoring of dispensing and use habits.