Iowa board urges state to OK medical marijuana - 2/17/10

[Quietus]

Iowa board urges state to OK medical marijuana

By MOLLY HOTTLE | Posted: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 4:53 pm | (0) Comments

The Iowa Board of Pharmacy on Wednesday unanimously recommended that the Legislature legalize marijuana for medical uses.
In a 6-0 vote, the board also called for lawmakers to change the classification of marijuana to a Schedule II drug. Such drugs have the potential for abuse but also have accepted medical uses.

The board's action makes it the first state pharmacy panel to take such a stance before either legislators or voters took steps to legalize marijuana. There are 14 states with medical marijuana laws, although regulations in New Jersey haven't yet taken effect.

"One more time Iowa provides leadership," said board member Peggy Whitworth.

The recommendation calls for the Legislature to create a committee that would propose how to administer a medical marijuana program in Iowa. The panel would include people who use marijuana for medical reasons as well as representatives from the Board of Pharmacy, other health boards and public safety organizations.
"What the Board of Pharmacy feels is important is that this isn't just a one-group issue, but that we need to bring in all other disciplines and the patients," said Susan Frey, a board member and pharmacist.

The recommendation came after the board held four public meetings last year and spent several months studying scientific research on the drug.
Board members don't expect the Legislature to take immediate action during a shortened session that likely will end by late March.

"The probability (of immediate action) is not great," said Edward Meier, another board member and pharmacist. "But it's in the Legislature now."

It wasn't clear whether Gov. Chet Culver would support a legalization effort. A spokesman said Culver wouldn't make a statement on the issue Wednesday.
Medical marijuana initially came before the pharmacy board in 2008 when the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa and Carl Olsen, co-founder of Iowans for Medical Marijuana, petitioned the board to remove the drug from the Legislature's Schedule I classification.

The board rejected the request, then took up the matter again in 2009 at the order of a Polk County judge. The judge was responding to a petition filed by the ACLU and Olsen, ruling that the board must review the classification and decide whether marijuana has an accepted medical use.

The board again declined to reclassify marijuana but agreed to hold hearings and consider making a recommendation to the Legislature.
Olsen said he sees the recommendation as a victory.

"If you're a medical patient and you use marijuana for medical purposes, and you get arrested, your jury is going to be a whole lot more sympathetic today than it would have been yesterday," Olsen said. "All the work I've put into this has paid off."

The ACLU said in a statement that it would likely drop its lawsuit, but Olsen said he would pursue the suit until medical marijuana is legalized in Iowa.

http://www.wcfcourier.com/news/state-and-regional/iowa/article_ab4a7338-c7fc-5644-9592-4fcaf4eaea68.html

[Pallidus127]

I was following that today.  A 6-0!  That's amazing.

[anonymous professional]

I think we could expect landslide votes like this nationwide if we could figure out an efficient way to get the information across. That was the key difference in this vote.
They had months upon months of research in front of them.  They would have looked like morons to ignore all of the evidence.


I typically look for news articles that permit comments at the end. That helps some, but a more centralized approach could be pivotal.
Something a bit more aggressive than just a website. This is great and definitely helps, but something that like facebook that sends out daily announcements to everyone.
Maybe one massive facebook group?



There was two petitions on change.org website.:

http://www.change.org/actions/view/ask_the_senate_to_block_anti-medical_marijuana_dea_leader

http://www.change.org/actions/view/demand_cbs_reverse_decision_declaring_pro-marijuana_ad_too_political

If one out of every three Adults in our nation has puffed the magic dragon, these numbers are horrible. It could be closer to 100 million signatures since you aren't required to show personal information.

[Cannasuticals]

I spent about a year plus or so in Iowa 13 yeras ago or so. I was installing equipment out there, and got to know a lot of folks.

Being such a farming heavy state, it makes sense that they will look at the commidity side of the issue, with a bit more open mindedness....and as AP stated above, all the months of prep work.

It does startle me Iowa went that way...that hard...6-0 wow!!

[Derek Rosenzweig]

This is definitely some good news. Can't wait to see if it influences people to support reform.

[DoctorK]

This is very encouraging. What this vote shows is that it is no longer possible for medical and pharmaceutical professionals do deny wonderful medicinal qualities of medical marijuana. In fact, to even suggest that marijuana does not have medicinal qualities is the same as to say that the Earth is flat. But there is more, and all our supporters as well as opponents should be aware of it. As opposed to what our opponents claim, this is a direct quote from the prestigious Substance Abuse: A Comprehensive Textbook, 4-th Edition, page 267:

"Only the unsophisticated continue to believe that cannabis leads to violence and crime. Indeed, instead of inciting criminal behavior, cannabis may tend to suppress it".

Now, this not some "stoned" teenager making a self-serving statement; This textbook is published by no other than the American Association of Addiction Psychiatry.

[Quietus]

This is very encouraging. What this vote shows is that it is no longer possible for medical and pharmaceutical professionals do deny wonderful medicinal qualities of medical marijuana. In fact, to even suggest that marijuana does not have medicinal qualities is the same as to say that the Earth is flat. But there is more, and all our supporters as well as opponents should be aware of it. As opposed to what our opponents claim, this is a direct quote from the prestigious Substance Abuse: A Comprehensive Textbook, 4-th Edition, page 267:

"Only the unsophisticated continue to believe that cannabis leads to violence and crime. Indeed, instead of inciting criminal behavior, cannabis may tend to suppress it".

Now, this not some "stoned" teenager making a self-serving statement; This textbook is published by no other than the American Association of Addiction Psychiatry.

You are presenting an Ad Verecundiam mixed in with an Ad Populum in support of an Ad Populum?  

If you're going to quote something from a textbook, you might want to try and stick to something that resembles either deductive or inductive reasoning.