Posted on: Wednesday, April 16, 2003

EDITORIAL
Medical marijuana bid not that outlandish

Big Island officials should not be faulted for offering to supply medical marijuana from the stockpile police confiscate from illegal growers.

If medical marijuana is to be accessible to a particular class of patients, it's probably better that the users obtain their drugs legally.

As it is, the state's medical marijuana program makes that hard, if not impossible.

Hawai'i passed a medical marijuana law intended to bring relief to those suffering from ailments such as nausea related to chemotherapy and glaucoma.

Under the law, patients with a "debilitating medical condition" go through a rigorous screening and registration process to qualify for medical marijuana use. Because it's illegal to purchase or import marijuana, certified patients must grow their own. Each is limited to three mature plants, four immature plants and one ounce of usable marijuana per mature plant.

In 2001, the Hawai'i County Council passed a resolution authorizing Mayor Harry Kim to accept federal money to get rid of illegal marijuana. One of the conditions was that county police would work with the state on a plan to set aside a portion of the confiscated marijuana for medical use.

But the state didn't want any part of the plan, pointing out that such a proposal comes at the risk of federal prosecution. Federal law prohibits the cultivation, sale and use of marijuana. It does not recognize medical marijuana.

Sure, there are those who will attempt to take advantage of a medical marijuana law. But there are probably more people who take advantage of their physicians to obtain narcotic painkillers.

The bottom line is, if patients — particularly those who are dying of cancer — find relief in a non-life-threatening medication, why make them suffer? This is a crucial component of pain management and palliative care.