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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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US HI: Medical Marijuana Legal In Isles Jessica Webster, Advertiser Staff Writer Honolulu Advertiser (US) Thursday 15 Jun 2000 Pubdate: Thu, 15 Jun 2000 Source: Honolulu Advertiser (HI) Author: Jessica Webster, Advertiser Staff Writer MEDICAL MARIJUANA LEGAL IN ISLES A new Hawaii law says people diagnosed with debilitating illnesses can legally possess and use marijuana - but they can't legally buy it. And people selling it will be arrested. These are the quandaries posed by the medical marijuana bill, which was signed into law yesterday by Gov. Ben Cayetano. The law allows for the use of marijuana for medical purposes when a person is diagnosed by a licensed physician to be suffering from a debilitating illness such as cancer, AIDS or glaucoma. Federal law, however, prohibits the legalization of marijuana sales. Thus Hawai`i law enforcement and public safety representatives were left scratching their heads yesterday as to how this will work. "The bill certainly has some problems with where and how they're going toget their medical marijuana," said Keith Kamita, state public safety narcotics administrator. "The bill is very specific, and the sale and distribution to the patient is still illegal. The Legislature will have to go back and look at that issue." Right now, patients who are diagnosed and certified to use marijuana for medical reasons have no choice but to approach street dealers and illegal growers for an "adequate supply" - which is not to exceed three mature marijuana plants, four immature marijuana plants and one ounce of usable pot, according to the law. Kamita said he also fears that some Hawai`i residents will view this law as a green light to abuse pot. "I think there's some misinformation out in the public that they can just grow it without authorization, and we want to caution them that they must be certified by this agency before they embark on growing marijuana," Kamita said. State officials anticipate that the medical marijuana certification process, which will start with Hawai`i's licensed physicians, will take two months to establish. Tom Mountain, who uses marijuana occasionally for pain from a spinal cord injury, said he worries about slow and sloppy implementation of the law. "So if your mom goes in for her physical tomorrow, and she finds out she has cancer and has to start chemotherapy next week, how is she going to get the marijuana to keep her from throwing up?" Mountain said. "There's not enough time to grow it. Do you want your mom out on the streets looking for it?" Mountain said his group, Hawai`i Green Cross, would like to set up a marijuana distribution center in Hawai`i for people who are certified for medical marijuana use. He says the center would be state and federally supervised and would control the quality of the marijuana, as well as provide the right marijuana to the right people. Donald Topping, president of the Drug Policy Forum of Hawai`i, said giventhe federal drug restrictions, this law is a big step for Hawai`i. "The bill does have shortcomings," Topping said. "For example, sales and distribution being illegal ... and I think registration should be with the Department of Health rather than the Department of Safety. It still suggests that this is a law enforcement issue, when we feel it is a health issue." The Rev. Dennis Shields said he's pleased to see the law. Shields lost his 7-year-old son, Ryan, to cancer but asserts that marijuana stopped his son's uncontrolled vomiting and eased his suffering for the last part of his life. Shields took his son to Kapi`olani Medical Center for Women and Children, where the boy's doctor suggested marijuana as a treatment. "My son had over 117 stitches in his stomach and was vomiting all the time," Shields said. "We used to bring cannabis into his room and smoke with him all the time. The vomiting stopped, and he lived 18 months longer than doctors anticipated." Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland, chairwoman of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, emphasized that Hawai`i's law is not a move toward total legalization. Oakland, (D-Palama, `FClewa Heights), said the law simply supports medical research and many hours of testimony on the benefits of medical marijuana. And Cayetano said, "If the law is abused, I won't be surprised if there is a legislative move to repeal it." The law is unique to Hawai`i because it was passed through legislative measures instead of voter initiatives. Similar laws have been passed in California, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Maine, Nevada and the District of Columbia.
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