6/28/2011 – The concurrent medical marijuana bills in Massachusetts had a public hearing today before the Committee on Public Health. Medical professionals and potentially qualifying patients outlined the strong case for legal accesss.
“…injuries from multiple car accidents left me with broken bones and nerve damage, I suffer from chronic pain that I will have for the rest of my life, including unpredictable debilitating pains on the entire left side of my body.” said Richard Merrill from Fitchburg. “The opiates I was prescribed made me vomit, caused sleeplessness, and put me into a long term depression. With the help of medical marijuana I’ve been able to get off the opiates and put my life back together again.”
Dr. Karen Munkacy MD, a specialist in Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, testified in favor of medical cannabis at the hearings. “It’s much safer than Oxycontin and even safer than many over the counter pain relievers.” said Dr. Munkacy. “I once treated a patient with a Tylenol overdose. That doesn’t happen with medical cannabis.”
The bills, H.625 and S.1161 would allow doctors to recommend cannabis and regulate up to nineteen “Medical Treatment Centers” for dispensing marijuana across the state. Massachusetts decriminalized adult possession of cannabis (for all uses) by a ballot measure in 2008. But doctors are still not allowed to address the issue with seriously ill residents in a fully legal manner.
The Associated Press covered the committee hearing today in-depth:
Grassroots links:
Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Coalition
Chris Goldstein is a respected marijuana reform advocate. As a writer and radio broadcaster he has been covering cannabis news for over a decade. Questions? [email protected]