Iowa Board of Pharmacy holds final medical marijuana hearing

The Iowa Board of Pharmacy held its final hearing on medical marijuana Nov. 4 at Harrah’s Casino in Council Bluffs.

Notable speakers included Raphael Mechoulum, famous for his discovery and synthesis of tetrahydrocannabinol (the active ingredient in marijuana) and George McMahon, one of four patients still receiving medical marijuana grown by the federal government.

“All I can do is stand up here and tell my story,” said John Q, who spoke to the board under the pseudonym. He is a single father of three and suffers from an incurable disease known as minears, an inner ear affliction that causes severe nausea and dizziness.

Since last December, Q has suffered six major episodes of vomiting, one episode lasting more than 14 hours.

“What did the medical professionals give me?” he asked. “Nothing. Not even hope.”

After being “turned on” by a friend going through chemotherapy, Q found that marijuana helped alleviate his symptoms.

“Taking two or three puffs on a marijuana cigarette and it’s done, it’s over, it has stopped. I can function ... no nausea, no puking, it’s all gone,” he said.

“Medical marijuana is definitely an oxymoron,” said Paul Carter, executive director of PRIDE-Omaha, a drug prevention organization. “The real issue here, when we talk about legalizing medical marijuana dispensaries, is: what kind of message is being sent to our young people, to our children – the future of this country?”

The board expects to have its review completed by the time the 2010 state legislature convenes in January, said Terry Witkowski, executive officer of the Iowa Board of Pharmacy.

Jimmy Morrison, a Marijuana Policy Project grant recipient, also talked about the possibility of holding a town hall meeting at the University of Northern Iowa to discuss the issues surrounding medical marijuana. As of press time, no dates are set.


 

1 comments

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Thu Nov 26 2009 07:40

There is a fundamental error in classifying marijuana as a schedule 1 drug. Marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug by Iowa and the federal government. A schedule I drug is defined as a substance with high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States and a lack of accepted safety standards for its use under medical supervision. In simpler terms marijuana is labelled as deadly addictive and with no medical use, none of which is true.

Note a schedule I drug can not be prescibed by doctors, but the federal government for 40 years has been supply in 300 joints a month to a small group of citiizens.

Also the American Medical Association the largest medical organization in United States has revresed it's position on marijuana.

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