Monday, March 16, 1998
Marijuana debate continues
Voters have mixed reactions to implementation of law
By Claudia Flores
Daily Bruin Contributor
Sixteen months have passed since Proposition 215 was passed by
California voters, and still the state cannot reach a consensus on
its distribution.
In the 1996 November elections, Proposition 215, a measure which
allowed the possession and cultivation of marijuana for medical
use, passed in the state of California.
UCLA voters passed the proposition with a margin of 66 percent,
and according to a L.A. Times poll of random Californians, they
voted 56 percent for the proposition.
According to Vibe magazine, Dennis Peron, author of Proposition
215, was inspired to pursue the legalization of marijuana for
medical patients as a result of a painful AIDS-related death of a
loved one.
Since it passed, the fledgling proposition has thus far had a
rough life under the constant attack of Attorney General Dan
Lungren for breaking federal drug laws.
Starting in 1997, marijuana clubs sprang up throughout the state
and served as distributors of marijuana.
In January of 1997, over 8,000 patients designated marijuana
clubs as their primary caregiver in order to obtain medical
marijuana from them.
But in April 1997, the crackdown began when Lungren placed an
injunction that prohibited marijuana clubs from distributing to
anyone unless they qualified as "true primary caregiver."
Lungren argued that cannabis clubs could not play the role of a
"true primary caregiver" because they did not fit the description
of "a friend, a loved one, a neighbor, a nurse who consistently
checks on the patients’ needs – to provide marijuana should the
patient not be able to provide for himself or herself."
In January 1998 Michael Yamaguchi, U.S. Attorney of Northern
California, filed a civil lawsuit accusing six marijuana clubs of
repeated violations of the federal drug laws.
Mark Kleiman, a professor in the School of Public Policy,
explained that while some buyers’ clubs are operated by people with
a genuine commitment to helping sick people, they are still
committing a felony under federal law. Therefore, state officials
are acting accordingly in attacking the distributors.
"Buyers are buying the marijuana from large-scale illicit
operators," Kleiman said. "They are feeding multi-million dollar
criminal enterprises because there is no legal supply of it."
Kleiman said that marijuana probably does have valid medical
uses, and that medical research should be done through normal
clinical trials to prove cannabis’ safety and effectiveness.
Then marijuana could be approved by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and patients would be able to get marijuana at
a local pharmacy, Kleiman explained.
"I just don’t see anything in the text of the initiative that
would allow the creation of the marijuana clubs," he added.
Actually, there has been some clinical work done. A study
conducted by Dr. Thomas Ungerlei-der at UCLA on the medical uses of
marijuana has showed significant uses.
"We did one study that showed delta 9 THC (the active compound
in marijuana) worked in reducing nausea and vomiting in cancer
patients receiving chemotherapy," Ungerlei-der said in a previous
Daily Bruin article.
"We also did a pilot study that showed delta 9 THC reduces
(muscle spasms) in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis," he
added.
Bruin Libertarian President Justin Sobodash supports the right
of marijuana clubs to distribute to needy patients as a result of
its medical purposes.
"Being someone who has a sick grandmother, I want there to be a
genuine commitment by Californians to legalize marijuana," Sobodash
said.
And he is outraged that "sick people are not able to provide for
their own medication."
Raj Joshi, fourth-year art student agrees with the distribution
of marijuana but for different reasons.
"Marijuana should be legalized because its effects are much
weaker than the consumption of alcoholic beverages," Joshi
said.
"When smoking marijuana, one reaches a maximum high, whereas
drinking excessively can lead to a loss of memory, a black out or
ultimately passing out," he added.
Still, there are many students at UCLA who disagree with the
distribution of marijuana in California.
"Research has been done and has concluded that marijuana use
causes a chemical reaction in the brain that causes stress and
anxiety," said Alejandra Aguirre, a first-year physiological
science student.
"Enough evidence has been done to conclude that marijuana
patients will soon become addicted, and regular dosage will not be
enough to ease their pain. So it will lead to the use of stronger,
more dangerous drugs." she added.
With reports from Daily Bruin wire services.