If you’ve ever lived with a person dying from cancer then you know that the end stage is brutal. I sometimes think that it isn’t the cancer that kills people, but the cure, or rather the chemotherapy and surgery. There are plenty of reasons to question what sort of drugs or treatments are effective or not, but in a terminal illness those questions pale besides the one looming issue of dying with dignity. If you’ve never seen a patient unable to swallow a pill, hooked up on IVs and grappling with the pain and discomfort of months of debilitation, then you are fotunate. If a terminal patient wants to take a toke, who are we to say no?
From the Courant:
The House of Representatives was debating legislation today that would legalize the medical use of marijuana for patients with debilitating illnesses.
The debate was expected to last late into the afternoon, with one opponent filing about 50 amendments to the bill. It’s unclear how many may ultimately be voted on.
Connecticut lawmakers have grappled with the issue for the last five years. Backers of the law say it’s needed to legally protect people who try to obtain the illegal drug to help stem the draining effects of diseases such as cancer and multiple sclerosis.
Opponents say the proposal sends the wrong message about drugs to Connecticut’s children and could exacerbate a patient’s health problems. Some also claimed the bill still has many problems that haven’t yet been addressed.
“How do you get it?” asked House Minority Leader Lawrence J. Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk, referring to the marijuana seeds needed to grow the maximum four plants allowed under the bill. “You’ve got to buy it. How do you buy it? As Rep. (Michael) Lawlor said, you’ve got to hit the streets folks - nickel bag, dime bag. You gotta make a drug deal, baby.”
The legislation allows a doctor to certify an adult patient’s use of marijuana after determining he or she has a debilitating condition and could potentially benefit from marijuana. Patients and their primary caregivers would then register with the state’s Department of Consumer Protection.
source: The Courant, House Takes Up Medical Marijuana Bill, AP May 23, 2007
