|
|
The views expressed on this page are soley
those of the author and do not
necessarily represent the views of County
News Online
|
 |
State Representative Jim Buchy
Pharmaceutical
Marijuana Should be the Focus of a Marijuana Discussion
In western Ohio, we know a lot about growing crops to feed the world
and we have no interest in plowing under good soybeans, corn, and
wheat, to trade in our combines for a Marijuana Grow Site.
Marijuana legalization promises societal concerns and an economic
shift, which if not monitored could be devastating. This
discussion around medical marijuana should look to the problems of
other states and focus only on establishing a legitimate medicine
market in an above-board healthcare pharmacy.
To further encourage the study of the medical benefits of marijuana, we
need to remove the roadblocks to research. The legislation that the
Ohio legislature is currently reviewing will encourage Congress to
change marijuana from a schedule I drug to a schedule II. This is
important because that change will make it better for legitimate
scientific research to explore the possible benefits of this plant.
Until the federal government makes research more accessible it would be
hard to determine if there are any medical benefits to the product.
So-called “medical marijuana” is an atrocity in other states where
smoke-able medical marijuana is available on street corners from legal
“dispensaries”. States like California and others have done medical
marijuana wrong; they are allowing anyone and everyone to get high in
the name of medicine. It’s a sham and Ohio can do better. We
should be focusing on pharmaceutical marijuana only; talking about
products that can’t be smoked and won’t let a patient get high. These
types of products might have true, proven medical justification.
There are cannabis products in development that experts believe can
help true medical conditions, and science is going to allow us to
produce these medicines without THC, the chemical that causes a high.
Drugs like Marinol and Cesamet are synthetic drugs used to treat AIDS
and cancer patients who do not respond to conventional treatment. These
kinds of drugs are regulated and cannot be smoked. Pharmaceutical
marijuana should be derived from the medical benefits observed from
these two drugs.
As this discussion continues, I will be working to ensure we keep
marijuana gummy bears, brownies and smokeable marijuana off our streets
and away from our children. Any efforts to the contrary are
misguided and ill-informed. To learn more please visit
tinyurl.com/buchystandingstrong
Please give me your opinion on this topic and others in the news this
month by completing an online survey attinyurl.com/buchymay2016
|
|
|
|
