Robert Celt
New Member
A bipartisan group of congressional representatives and senators sent a letter to President Obama Friday urging him to facilitate medical research on marijuana.
U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Ninth District) was one of the group, saying marijuana's medicinal benefits need more attention and study.
"While I do not support marijuana for recreational use, countless reports tell of marijuana's medicinal benefits in treating conditions such as cancer, glaucoma and epilepsy ..." he said.
Griffith said a recent "landmark" study conducted in part at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago found a marijuana extract significantly decreased seizures in severely epileptic children.
A certain amount of the active ingredient in marijuana, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), must be present for it to be effective and that is a problem, he said, because of the lack of research.
'"Even in states where it (use of medicinal marijuana) is legal, they are having to guess what kind of formula they need to put together for a child," he said, adding that he knew of a mother who would obtain her own oil from the leaves, but was not sure of exactly how much was needed.
"When you talk to parents, this is a problem," he said.
Another issue is the use of current drugs commonly used for medical reasons that are, at least as far as anyone knows, much more dangerous than marijuana.
"As I often say, we use barbituates and opioids (by legal prescription) on a regular basis," he said. "They are dangerous, and I don't know what folks (especially cancer victims who are in severe pain) would do without morphine, which is an opiate."
Another benefit for cancer victims is an increase in appetite, he said, an issue he knows about first-hand.
"I came to this conclusion (about the medical benefits of marijuana) some time ago," he said. "Years ago, I knew of a person who was dying of cancer and I had known people who were friends of his. His doctor in the Roanoke Valley had put instructions out that no one was to visit his room between 11 and 12 a.m."
The reason, he said, is that his friends were smuggling marijuana into his room and then they would bring his food in. Marijuana is well known for stimulating the appetite, which is beneficial for cancer patients and may extend their lives.
"He was fighting to spend every day he could with his family and friends," he said.
Griffith said it's a shame doctors have to find a way to allow a patient to spend a little more time with their families.
Although Griffith is adamantly in support of research that can open the way for more effective use of the drug for medical treatment, he is just as adamantly opposed to its use as a recreation drug.
"I think it is dangerous and I don't want to see our young people use it for recreation," he said. "It does weird things to the brain."
Griffith said, as a former defense attorney, he saw cases of extensive marijuana use that had resulted in people "not being able to put a sentence together."
Alcohol is also a dangerous drug, he said, and he has heard the argument that it may very well be more dangerous than marijuana, yet it is legal and often abused.
"It's hard to defend (a position that marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol) because we don't have enough information (on the effects of long-term use). I think (with substantial research) we will find that it is equal to or greater than the dangers of alcohol use over a long period of time."
Griffith said if "we had 40 or 50 years" of research, doctors may be able to make that decision,
For those who don't think marijuana has any credible medical use, he said the first step is to do research and find the evidence.
"Unlike many other circumstances, I am of the belief that this is a situation in which President Obama has the authority to appropriately use his pen and his phone and allow the advancement of research in order to help sick people," he said. "It is time marijuana's medicinal benefits be researched further."
Morgan has been busy in the past pursuing this goal.
In April 2014, he introduced H.R. 4498, the Legitimate Use of Medicinal Marijuana Act (LUMMA), which would reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule II drug (allowing for more research on its risks/benefits).
It would also prohibit the federal government from preventing the prescription, possession, transportation and distribution of marijuana for medical purposes in compliance with applicable state law, such as the Virginia medicinal marijuana law that has been on the books since 1979.
Building on those initial efforts, in April 2015, he and Rep. Blumenauer introduced H.R. 1774, the Compassionate Access Act, which would reschedule marijuana and CBD (cannabidiol) and would allow the states to provide appropriate access to patients needing these legitimate medical treatments under the supervision of their physician.
Griffith is the only legislator from Virginia (none from West Virginia) to join the effort to urge the President to take action.
"I did not contact them on this (letter to the President) because in the past I have found the other (Virginia) legislators are generally not favorable on this issue," he said.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Virginia: Bipartisan Push For Medical Marijuana
Author: Charles Boothe
Contact: The Register-Herald
Photo Credit: Pixabay
Website: The Register-Herald
U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Ninth District) was one of the group, saying marijuana's medicinal benefits need more attention and study.
"While I do not support marijuana for recreational use, countless reports tell of marijuana's medicinal benefits in treating conditions such as cancer, glaucoma and epilepsy ..." he said.
Griffith said a recent "landmark" study conducted in part at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago found a marijuana extract significantly decreased seizures in severely epileptic children.
A certain amount of the active ingredient in marijuana, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), must be present for it to be effective and that is a problem, he said, because of the lack of research.
'"Even in states where it (use of medicinal marijuana) is legal, they are having to guess what kind of formula they need to put together for a child," he said, adding that he knew of a mother who would obtain her own oil from the leaves, but was not sure of exactly how much was needed.
"When you talk to parents, this is a problem," he said.
Another issue is the use of current drugs commonly used for medical reasons that are, at least as far as anyone knows, much more dangerous than marijuana.
"As I often say, we use barbituates and opioids (by legal prescription) on a regular basis," he said. "They are dangerous, and I don't know what folks (especially cancer victims who are in severe pain) would do without morphine, which is an opiate."
Another benefit for cancer victims is an increase in appetite, he said, an issue he knows about first-hand.
"I came to this conclusion (about the medical benefits of marijuana) some time ago," he said. "Years ago, I knew of a person who was dying of cancer and I had known people who were friends of his. His doctor in the Roanoke Valley had put instructions out that no one was to visit his room between 11 and 12 a.m."
The reason, he said, is that his friends were smuggling marijuana into his room and then they would bring his food in. Marijuana is well known for stimulating the appetite, which is beneficial for cancer patients and may extend their lives.
"He was fighting to spend every day he could with his family and friends," he said.
Griffith said it's a shame doctors have to find a way to allow a patient to spend a little more time with their families.
Although Griffith is adamantly in support of research that can open the way for more effective use of the drug for medical treatment, he is just as adamantly opposed to its use as a recreation drug.
"I think it is dangerous and I don't want to see our young people use it for recreation," he said. "It does weird things to the brain."
Griffith said, as a former defense attorney, he saw cases of extensive marijuana use that had resulted in people "not being able to put a sentence together."
Alcohol is also a dangerous drug, he said, and he has heard the argument that it may very well be more dangerous than marijuana, yet it is legal and often abused.
"It's hard to defend (a position that marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol) because we don't have enough information (on the effects of long-term use). I think (with substantial research) we will find that it is equal to or greater than the dangers of alcohol use over a long period of time."
Griffith said if "we had 40 or 50 years" of research, doctors may be able to make that decision,
For those who don't think marijuana has any credible medical use, he said the first step is to do research and find the evidence.
"Unlike many other circumstances, I am of the belief that this is a situation in which President Obama has the authority to appropriately use his pen and his phone and allow the advancement of research in order to help sick people," he said. "It is time marijuana's medicinal benefits be researched further."
Morgan has been busy in the past pursuing this goal.
In April 2014, he introduced H.R. 4498, the Legitimate Use of Medicinal Marijuana Act (LUMMA), which would reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule II drug (allowing for more research on its risks/benefits).
It would also prohibit the federal government from preventing the prescription, possession, transportation and distribution of marijuana for medical purposes in compliance with applicable state law, such as the Virginia medicinal marijuana law that has been on the books since 1979.
Building on those initial efforts, in April 2015, he and Rep. Blumenauer introduced H.R. 1774, the Compassionate Access Act, which would reschedule marijuana and CBD (cannabidiol) and would allow the states to provide appropriate access to patients needing these legitimate medical treatments under the supervision of their physician.
Griffith is the only legislator from Virginia (none from West Virginia) to join the effort to urge the President to take action.
"I did not contact them on this (letter to the President) because in the past I have found the other (Virginia) legislators are generally not favorable on this issue," he said.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Virginia: Bipartisan Push For Medical Marijuana
Author: Charles Boothe
Contact: The Register-Herald
Photo Credit: Pixabay
Website: The Register-Herald
