Iowa Medical Marijuana News

IA board to hear from public on medical marijuana

By AMY LORENTZEN Associated Press Writer

2:37 p.m. CDT, August 18, 2009

DES MOINES, Iowa - State drug regulators will begin hearing from the
public this week as they gather scientific information in deciding
whether to legalize the use of marijuana for medical treatment.

The Iowa Pharmacy Board plans to examine current science and medical
findings and hear testimony from doctors and patients. It also will
review federal and state drug laws, including those in states that allow
marijuana use for medical treatment, said Lloyd Jessen, the board's
executive director.

The board has scheduled four public hearings: Wednesday in Des Moines;
Sept. 2 in Mason City; Oct. 7 in Iowa City; and Nov. 4 in Council
Bluffs.

"There is a lot of interest," Jessen said. "We are hearing from a lot of
people both for the idea and against it."

He notes that the board doesn't have the power to legalize marijuana for
medical use, but it could suggest lawmakers move it to the Schedule II
category for drugs that have accepted medical uses in the United States.

The board's findings would be a recommendation to the Legislature on how
the drug should be treated. Lawmakers would have to pass a new law or
approve new administrative rules to legalize medical marijuana.

"Most of the legislators are glad (the review) is occurring and
interested in seeing what results we come up with," Jessen said.

The review comes after the pharmacy board last month again rejected a
petition to reclassify marijuana. A Polk County judge ordered the board
in April to reconsider the petition to remove marijuana as a Schedule I
drug under the Iowa Uniform Controlled Substances Act. Schedule I drugs
have no safe medical use within the United States and are a high risk
for abuse.

Carl Olsen, with Iowans for Medical Marijuana, filed the petition. He
says marijuana no longer meets that Schedule I definition because more
than a dozen other states allow medical use of the drug.

The pharmacy board said the drug would have to be used for treatment in
all states for Iowa to reclassify it. However, it agreed to a scientific
review and to accept public comment on the drug's use.

Olsen expects a large turnout at the hearings and "quite a lot" of
information to be submitted by medical marijuana proponents from across
the country. He praised the board for its scientific review.

"They are looking for people who say they need this," Olsen said.

Dr. Alan Koslow, a Des Moines-area vascular surgeon, plans to speak at
Wednesday's meeting in support of medical marijuana.

When he sends his patients to a pain specialist, he said they are
essentially disabled "not because of the pain, but because of the
medication they receive for the pain treatment." He added that patients
who have obtained marijuana on their own often have been able to stop
taking narcotics and antidepressants and have returned to work.

Marijuana "is much more effective in coping with the pain and at the
same time it is safer," he said.

Dale Woolery, with the Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy, said
his office doesn't plan to offer oral testimony at the hearings, but
will submit a written statement. The office's stance, according to its
Web site, is that science so far doesn't support using marijuana as
medicine.

"Unless, or until, the consensus of medical evidence changes, ODCP
opposes any proposal to legalize marijuana smoking for medical
purposes," the Web site says.

Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, presented a bill to legalize medical
marijuana that stalled during the last legislative session. He plans to
introduce new legislation next session.

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On the Net:

Iowa Board of Pharmacy: http://www.iowa. gov/ibpe/

Iowans for Medical Marijuana: http://www.iowamedi calmarijuana. org/

http://www.chicagot ribune.com/ news/chi- ap-ia-iowa- medicalmarij, 0,2451486\
.story