Medicinal marijuana is just fine with Ann Arbor residents.
Last week, they approved a proposal that protects patients who use marijuana for medical purposes, such as soothing pain or increasing appetite. East Lansing and Detroit are two other Michigan cities that have approved pro-pot proposals like this.
To really understand the debate you'll need to know that marijuana has only been illegal on the federal level since 1937. Until the federal government reconsiders its stance, laws passed on a local or state level will remain symbolic.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration hasn't approved some magical strain of the drug for medical use. Even in California, medical buyers have to organize to form special pharmacies, getting weed from dealers. Buyers must prove every customer has a prescription, or face the consequences.
We applaud the residents of Ann Arbor for standing up for a patient's right to receiving the best available care they can. Yes, marijuana is an illegal drug, but when it can be used for legitimately useful purposes, it's time federal and state lawmakers take notice.
Several legitimate illnesses can use marijuana as a treatment. Doctors could potentially use the drug to combat loss of appetite in HIV patients, the painful after-effects of chemotherapy, glaucoma or even as a muscle-relaxant for those suffering from epilepsy.
Doctors already can dole out marijuana's prime ingredient, THC, in pill form. But doctors usually give it to chemotherapy patients with nausea so bad they can't keep the pill down. It's much easier for patients to derive pain relief by smoking.
The cases where doctors would use marijuana, though, are limited. This won't cause mass availability of weed. You won't find people on chemotherapy pushing extra weed on grade-school children. We're not calling for recreational use here.
It's confusing and somewhat illogical that Gov. Jennifer Granholm would send a letter to the city of Ann Arbor reprimanding them for their medical marijuana proposal. Hasn't she heard of "Hash Bash?" It's twisted then, that the nominal, slap-on-the-wrist charges in Ann Arbor for small-scale possession of weed or the annual mass celebration of it don't bother her as much as those who smoke for medical purposes.
Go figure.
Even the American Medical Association has called for more controlled experiments to determine the exact effects of marijuana. There's a lot about marijuana that scientists just don't know - maybe it's time to find out.
Scientists deserve the chance to make a final, definitive determination on whether or not pot can serve for more than just black-market entertainment. Serious questions - like the ethical balance of prescribing a drug to cancer patients linked to lung cancer - remain unanswered.
It's not like marijuana would be a first. Narcotic drugs such as morphine and Vicodin are used, even despite their potential to addict patients. Patients trust their doctors to know how to properly administer them, and the same could ring true for marijuana in the future.
In the end, it should come down to a patient's decision. Once the real risks and benefits are known, doctors will have the wealth of knowledge they need to make the right call for their patients.
