Medical cannabis is a complex public policy issue. But the message was clear in Pittsburgh last week when some of the nation’s top medical doctors and a former narcotics officer testified in favor of Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana bill, HB 1393.
Dr. Lester Grinspoon and Dr. Cyril Wecht offered the most powerful expert medical testimony on the subject heard thus far by the PA House Health and Human Services Committee.
Dr. Wecht, a renowned forensic pathologist and resident of Pittsburgh, addressed the fact that he never found marijuana to be the cause of death in over 50, 000 autopsies.
The non-toxic nature of whole-plant marijuana is an important fact and one that is often taken for granted. Cannabis is uniquely non-lethal compared to almost every other medication or medical substance in common use today.
Dr. Grinspoon is Associate Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He has written extensively on medial marijuana including the book Marijuana: The Forbidden Medicine. Grinspoon appeared at the hearing via Skype, a service he uses to deliver lectures.
Addressing a question from Rep.Wheatley, who was chairing the hearing, Dr. Grinspoon said,
“What is happening in this country now is that more and more people are having the opportunity to see a relative or a friend or an acquaintance using it as a medicine and observing for themselves how limited the toxicity is… how relative to the conventional drug it displaces that its not only less toxic but almost invariably, even at the inflated prices in the states that do not have medical marijuana legislation, it [marijuana] is still less expensive than the conventional drugs.”
Jack Cole, who worked for years at the New Jersey State Police on narcotics squads, even undercover, went on to found the group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP). Cole traveled to the hearings, explaining why he offers his time and perspective:
“I am not here as lobbyist. I’m not here to make money. I don’t get paid. I do what I do to try to correct a lot of wrongs I caused in 26 years at the NJ State Police. Most of the people I arrested were young adults; many of them were self-medicating with marijuana.”
PittsburghNORML and Pennsylvanians for Medical Marijuana helped to coordinate the volunteers who appeared at the hearings.
Local media also covered the event, which offered some very compelling moments:
Post Gazette : http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10232/1081344-114.stm
Tribune Review: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/regional/s_695694.html
PA4MMJ volunteers at the event posted videos online:
Dr. Wecht: http://qik.com/video/10909441
Dr. Ginspoon: http://qik.com/video/10910623
Jack Cole of LEAP: http://qik.com/video/10912509
Pennsylvanians for Medical Marijuana (PA4MMJ) is a statewide non-profit advocacy group promoting passage of the bill.
by Chris Goldstein, the Philadephia NORML Examiner. Chris is on the Board of Directors at PhillyNORML and PA4MMJ. He may be contacted through media@phillynorml.org
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Comments
i am in favor of the passing of this bill. i have a few family members as well as my self that use it on a daily basis and yes i does help and i would rather have it than a narcotic that can possible kill me...
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