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According to the bill, "modern medical research has discovered beneficial
uses for marijuana in treating or alleviating the pain, nausea, and other
symptoms associated with a variety of debilitating medical conditions, as found
by the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine in March 1999."
The "cardholder," or patient, must be allotted a valid identification
card in order to obtain the marijuana. To gain authorization for registry,
he or she must be diagnosed with an incapacitating medical condition.
These conditions include a "chronic or terminal illness, severe pain that
has not responded to previously prescribed medication or surgical measures for
more than three months, severe nausea, severe vomiting, seizures, or severe,
persistent muscle spasms," according to the bill.
Timothy Horrigan, a New Hampshire Rep., voted in favor of the legislation.
"There are many people, especially those undergoing chemotherapy, who need
the drug to combat symptoms such as nausea and lack of appetite," he said.
"HB 648 is also very restrictive. It seems to have been designed to
allow limited personal use while discouraging the development of a commercial
market."
Each qualified patient is given a "designated caregiver" to assist
them in using the medical marijuana. The caregiver must be 21 years of age
or older, a member of the patient's family, household or a licensed health care
professional. This person is only permitted to assist one patient and can
only do so if they haven't been convicted of a felony.
Ann-Marie Matteucci, a UNH Health Services alcohol, tobacco and drug counselor,
believes that legalizing marijuana for medicinal use could be advantageous, but
she has mixed feelings about the bill.
"I do believe people who are very, very sick do find relief from some
symptoms, and when they are terminal, I guess any side effects or long term
effects are not really of any concern," said Matteucci. "That
would be a concern that people whose symptoms are not as serious will get it,
use it, share it."
As stated in the bill, the Department of Health and Human Services will take
many precautions in reducing the fraudulent use of medical marijuana.
The department will obtain a confidential list of every single cardholder, and
will also confirm with authorities that each patient's registration card is
valid. Any person who uses a false representation of an identification
card is punishable to a $500 fine or arrest, depending on the circumstances.
Despite the specific statements in the bill concerning medicinal use only, some
may view HB 648 as a way to cross the threshold for completely legalizing
marijuana.
"It's definitely a step in the right direction towards relaxing the strict
laws in place towards marijuana in New Hampshire," said senior Andrew
Switzer. "The next step could be the decriminalization, which was
recently passed in Massachusetts."
Since UNH is such a liberal campus, this latest progress could only strengthen
the movement towards the eventual legalization of marijuana, Switzer said.
Like many other available prescription drugs, such as adderall and painkillers,
the bill could increase the misuse of marijuana.
"If I understand the bill correctly, it will only allow for people with the
specific diagnosis and also for people who are considered caretakers," said
Mattuecci. "I imagine that will open up some room for misuse, as we
see with many prescription drugs."
Some students may think that this bill could make marijuana easier to obtain for
recreational purposes, but UNH administers serious consequences for those that
are caught doing so.
"The university is in a difficult position because they can lose a lot of
federal aid if they tolerate marijuana use, even legal use," said Horrigan.
"Students can be denied their financial aid if they are caught using drugs.
Otherwise, the main effect is simply the fact that some community members have
conditions which could benefit from medical marijuana."
UNH senior Christy Pallis is in favor of the bill only because it will be used
for medicinal purposes. She said she believes people who are truly
suffering from a medical condition should use every available resource to
alleviate their pain.
Although the bill could be favorable for those suffering from chronic and
terminal illnesses, Pallis is worried this bill could have more negative than
positive effects.
"Pot is more widely used for non-medical reasons," Pallis said.
"People could start abusing it because it's legal. Because there's
more pot smoking, there's potential to have more negative effects. It's
already a problem for some people, but this could make more of a problem."
Pubdate: Fri, 03 Apr 2009
Source: New Hampshire, The (NH Edu)
Copyright: The New Hamphire 2009