Medical marijuana advocates rally for drug’s expansion

Small group says drug could help more Nevadans, seeks reform of laws

Saturday, May 9, 2009 | 7:17 p.m.

Marijuana rally

You need to upgrade your Flash Player

Reader poll

Prescription painkiller use in Nevada

Full text of Senate Bill 262

About a dozen advocates for medical marijuana rallied Saturday outside the Regional Justice Center -- a symbolic location because the issue is medical and not criminal, said organizer Beth Soloe, chairwoman of Nevada NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

The rally was intended to generate understanding about the facts of medical marijuana -- mainly that it is legal in Nevada.

“More people need to be more willing to talk about it and stop being scared,” she said.

Nevada is one of 14 states to allow residents to possess and grow marijuana for the medical treatment of AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis and for chronic or debilitating medical conditions.

Proponents of medical marijuana said the negative stigma associated with the plant continues to prevent it from getting to people who would benefit from its medicinal effects.

Sixty-five percent of voters approved a ballot initiative in November 2000 amending the state constitution to recognize the medical use of marijuana.

The law took effect in October 2001 and allows authorized Nevadans to grow up to seven plants -- only three mature -- and possess an ounce for their own use.

The laws are too strict, said Soloe, who favors full legalization of marijuana and a system operated by the government to take the burden off the end users.

“We’re talking about people with cancer that are dying and old people, sick people and people with pain and are crippled. They can’t be expected to be botanists and grow plants,” she said. “You have just everyday Joes out there trying to grow pot in their closet for their friend because their friend is too sick to grow it for themselves. That doesn’t work for what we need for patients.”

After hurting his shoulder playing high school football, Jonathan Parsons sought pain relief from his doctor.

Instead of granting him comfort, the prescription drugs hooked him for more than five years and made him groggy and short-tempered, he said. He eventually found solace from medical marijuana.

Parsons, 29, and his brother James started a nonprofit organization called Medical Cannabis Consultants of Nevada that helps people enroll in the state program.

The cost to register in the state program is $150 annually, but with doctor charges, fingerprint fees and a charge for producing the identity card the cost is closer to $500.

As of March 30, there are 564 people enrolled in the Nevada Medical Marijuana program.

James Parsons said the number of Nevadans who need medical marijuana is in the hundreds of thousands based on the number of people who use prescription pain killers.

Nevadans per person use more hydrocodone -- the ingredient in the drugs Vicodin, Lortab and Norco -- than residents of any other state, according to Drug Enforcement Administration data. Nevadans rank fourth nationally in per-person consumption of methadone, morphine and oxycodone, the main ingredient in OxyContin.

“We don’t have a growing problem, it’s a dead-on epidemic,” Parsons said. “There’s no reason why responsible adults shouldn’t be able to at least look into (medical marijuana). Everybody has the choice of what they can and can’t put into their body.”

Henderson resident Gerald David Hart, 20, is working with the Parsons brothers on obtaining his medical marijuana identity card. He said he doesn’t like taking medication for his ankle injury and suffers from seizures.

“Marijuana is the only thing to make me calm and make the pain go away,” he said.

Although several states have legalized medical marijuana, possession and distribution is still illegal by federal laws. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has said the federal government will no longer prosecute medical marijuana clinics that operate in compliance with state laws.

There is a form of medical marijuana that the federal government does endorse -- Marinol.

Available by prescription in a pill, Marinol is produced by Solvay Pharmaceuticals and is the synthetic form of THC -- the psychoactive ingredient contained in marijuana.

It’s approved by the Food and Drug Administration for relieving symptoms associated with chemotherapy for cancer patients and to assist with loss of appetite with AIDS patients.

The FDA does not approve medications that can be smoked, saying it is a poor way to deliver medicine and can contain harmful chemicals and carcinogens that are byproducts of smoking.

Proponents of smoking medical marijuana say Marinol is too expensive.

The Nevada Senate is reviewing a bill (SB262) that would impose stricter penalties on marijuana except on those people in the state medical program.

Several of those rallying in Las Vegas said the laws need to be revamped but harsher penalties are not the answer. The medical marijuana law is based on flawed logic, James Parsons said.

“It’s one thing to have a program but if everything that happens toward the program is more of a deterrent, then how do you expect to get anywhere,” Parsons said. “It’s almost like a direct defiance to the voters that made and wanted this to happen.”

Discussion: 12 comments so far…

By KillerB

5/9/09 at 11:30 p.m.

Suggest removal

Anyone who thinks marijuana should still be illegal needs to read what government doesn't want you to know -- the LaGuardia Report. If you can find it ... found it

http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Libr...

The marijuana plant is the gods' botanical gift to mankind!
By hooloogoo

5/9/09 at 11:49 p.m.

Suggest removal

.
..
...I see nine Senators who should be targeted for no RE-election...I am surprised to see several Democrats including the Bozo North Las Vegas Assemblyman? Fireman who burnt himself with the Specialty cigarette lighter.

Geezz, Just when we see the Next door Governator ARRRnold agreeing to his Assembly Bill 390, introduced to legitimize Marijuana sales in California, We the People of Nevada watch as our Church People/Legislators turn back the clock and step towards Prohibition days.

...California Assembly Bill 390
(easily blogged,) estimates One Billion( 1,000,000,00 ) Dollars could be added to the empty State Treasury if sales are legal. It's already the number two cash crop, behind wine grapes, in the Golden State. Also huge costs can be realized on Apprehension, Prosecution and Incarceration public taxpayer expenditures that can be reduced significantly..

...The six hundred legitimate med-mar patients may find it difficult to raise their own personal stash and there isn't a legitimate source in Nevada to service their needs. For someone living in a small apartment it's technically difficult and the smell of the HERB is an invitation for a break-in or possible burglary.. We should be looking at Massachusetts latest law (1, March, 2009) where a one hundred dollar fine and no criminal legal record is a sufficient penalty for marijuana possession...
By hooloogoo

5/10/09 at 12:14 a.m.

Suggest removal

.
..
...Make sure you bring up the Senate Bill 262 in the article and note those nine Senators, dear citizens...
..
.
By mrjb

5/10/09 at 5:57 a.m.

Suggest removal

Addiction is a public health issue not a crime and punishment issue. The way we are handling this problem now is a failure.
By hooloogoo

5/10/09 at 9:31 p.m.

Suggest removal

.
..
...Ninety One percent of Sun Readers approved better sales to Medical patients in today's poll..???

...That's not enough...!!!

...If legal sales came to Nevada, as it will probably next door in Sunny California, a percentage of income should be available for Senior Citizens Prescription Costs. Many an old timer has a problem keeping up with the outrageous co-pay payments on today's maintenance drug programs.

...That should garner a vote or two from those dubious nine per centers pollsters not approving
this measure...
By Davyo

5/11/09 at 3:35 a.m.

Suggest removal

Pot being illegal has never made any sense at all.

Cheers
Davyo
By gdperson

5/11/09 at 11:14 a.m.

Suggest removal

The State of Nevada doesn't realize that 100's of thousands of people smoke pot in NV anyway. If they we're to put it on the ballot to legalize marijuana it would pass easy. There was a study done on the baby boomers between 45 and 60 year olds they surveyed 10,000 people at randum. Out of the 10 thousand 72% had smoked marijuana at one time in their life. You think Obama ever had a hit of pot??? People who are in the business for making laws right now 70% of them have smoked.They are liars if they say they haven't. Tax pot NO DEFICIT, just in Vegas if the state sold it like liquor and taxed it jee wezz probably make more of that than the strip brings in. Wake Up
By gdperson

5/11/09 at 11:26 a.m.

Suggest removal

STATE OF NV NEEDS TO LEGALIZE IT FOR PEOPLE OVER 21 AND TAX IT LIKE CIGARETTES SIMILIAR TO AMSTERDAM, CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW MUCH MONEY WE ARE TALKING ABOUT. EASYLY IN THE 100'S MILLIONS A YEAR.
By sheckyvegas

5/11/09 at 2:19 p.m.

Suggest removal

ah'm smokin' it rite now, with muh irradiated termaters!!! yee-haw!!!
By sheckyvegas

5/11/09 at 2:21 p.m.

Suggest removal

hey, look! tom cotter's at the riveria! irradiated termaters fer everyone!!! yee-haw!!!
By hooloogoo

5/11/09 at 6:44 p.m.

Suggest removal

.
..
...Olbermann's Countdown tonight cited Ron Paul introducing a bill that would allow hemp to be grown again in the U.S. It's products are sold throughout the health food store system as salad oils, seeds, tee shirts and various products. Manufacturers have to import hemp through Canadian growers..

...Although not as powerful as it's evil cousin,
the marijuana variety, it still has a potential of a billion dollar business quoted by Mr. Paul.

...Mrs. Paul makes a mean fishcake...

...After all the Constitution and Declaration were written on hemp paper..

...In 1850 America had 8,000 hemp plantations producing fiber for rope and sails for the Maritime Industry. Legal production stopped in 1939, two years after the Laguardia Stamp Act was passed...Cup of tea anyone...??
By KillerB

5/12/09 at 11:09 a.m.

Suggest removal

"Laguardia Stamp Act"? That's a new one.

The main person responsible for marijuana (and the ridiculous ban on even garden variety hemp) was that clown of a bureaucrat Harry Anslinger -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Ansli...

Even though both the federal and state Constitutions clearly declare in their preambles the purpose of government is to secure the blessings offreedom, perpetuate liberty, establish justice, etc., Prohibition seems to just keep coming back in one form or another. Like the anti-sodomy laws.

Check out these good info sources, then ask yourself why do our governments keep lying to us? --

CommonSenseDrugPolicy.org
DrugWarDistortions.org
DrugWarFacts.org
MedicalMJ.org
ManagingChronicPain.org

« Previous Ten Next Ten »

Live chat: Tuesday, noon PST; Chat with Krista Creelman; Problem Gambling Center executive director Krista Creelman will answer questions about gambling addiction from Las Vegas Sun readers from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. ... Submit question