Editorial: Medical marijuana series sheds light on new law

It was a mistake for Michigan voters to approve the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes by a 2-1 margin in November 2008.

The Michigan Medical Marihuana Act, which should be overturned by the state Legislature, allowed those with "debilitating medical conditions" to use marijuana when approved by a physician.

It also allowed "patients" to name a caregiver to administer the drug and to grow up to 12 marijuana plants. Dispensaries sprung up independently, but there are no compliance standards for dispensaries under the law.

Advocates convinced the electorate that marijuana would alleviate chronic pain or severe side effects from chemotherapy. This is bogus. There are no scientific peer-reviewed studies that show marijuana reduces chronic pain.

In addition, there are FDA-approved medications such as Marinol that contain Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the active ingredient in marijuana that can be prescribed by a physician. There also are at least three widely-used medications - Emend, Aloxi and Sancuso - which prevent chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

So there is no need for marijuana when legitimate medications are available to those living with chronic pain or side effects of chemotherapy. In addition, medical insurance will pay for such medications and no insurer will pay for marijuana.

Another problem with the Michigan law is that "debilitating conditions" were not specifically defined. This opens the door to con artists and dealers who complain of a "severe back ache" getting their hands on a drug that sells for $150 to $500 an ounce on the street depending on the quality.

An often-overlooked and dangerous problem with allowing widespread use of marijuana is that there is no quality control of marijuana being privately grown and disseminated. The law never legalized marijuana.

Marinol and anti-nausea drugs contain the exact ingredients whether a patient buys them at any pharmacy.

But with hundreds of people growing marijuana, there is no telling what might be contained in the marijuana purchased. Drug dealers often "cut" drugs with lethal substances such as strychnine to increase the quantity and this unnecessarily puts people's lives at risk.

Under current law, the potency of marijuana is not consistent. This could injure medically fragile patients, causing coma or a psychotic episode.

We are proud that state Attorney General Bill Schuette has led the charge to shut down marijuana dispensaries.

In August, the state Court of Appeals shut off the commercial sale of marijuana by those who have a medical marijuana card.