Lawmakers Could Say 'No' To Marijuana Treatment For Glaucoma

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IPR News Features

Date:

March 21, 2012

The state Senate could vote this week on the first major amendment to Michigan's medical marijuana law since it was adopted by voters in 2008. The measure would strip the eye disease glaucoma from the list of maladies that would qualify a patient for a medical marijuana card.

Physicians such as glaucoma specialist Tim Page say too many patients are turning to marijuana in lieu of proven medical treatments that keep people from going blind. He says, at best, marijuana offers just a brief respite from glaucoma's symptoms.

"Our concern is that the patients will believe that glaucoma can be treated with marijuana and that simply is not true," he says.

"I don't care what doctors say or whatever. This is me, and the idea of going blind terrifies me," says glaucoma patient Barbara Knox, who says this is about her right to make her own medical decisions.

It would take super-majorities in the Senate and the House to amend a law that was enacted by a vote of the people.

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Comments

I think it is interesting to

Submitted by Michigan Cancer Center (not verified) on April 12, 2012 - 8:10am.

I think it is interesting to see Rev.Steven B.Thompson describe himself as taking God-given Cannabis instead of man-made killing drugs. That is probably true in a twisted way! haha

RE-LEGALIZE!!

Submitted by Rev.Steven B.Thompson (not verified) on March 23, 2012 - 12:55am.

Folks, I am 64 years old now, became a Christian in 1978, became a minister in 1984, and have been branded a criminal for 46 years now because I CHOOSE to grow & use God-created Cannabis instead of doing man-made, poisonous drugs (legal or otherwise). I am not alone..we are a LARGE counter-culture of folks all over the world who CHOOSE the natural route over the synthetic one. We DO NOT manufacture a drug...we GROW a simple, seed-bearing, herbal PLANT! We dearly love our families & communities, work hard, believe in shopping local & recycling, grow organic, and contribute to society.Now I ask you, honestly, how are we hurting anyone with the choice of our lifestyle? I ask you, honestly, what gives ANYONE the right to make us live a different lifestyle, or THEIR'S? We DO NOT force ANYONE to live our's! We have been jailed, our children & possessions taken away from us, and even killed for OUR choice of lifestyle! So I am humbly pleading with ALL who read this to help RIGHT a WRONG that has been going on for over 70 years now in our country! Help us get the signatures that we need to qualify for the state ballot to end prohibition for ALL adults 21 & over, and then vote YES for OUR God-given rights this November. Go to www.repealtoday.org and don't forget to click the "LIKE" button on the right-hand side of the page. Our signature drive started in January and we have till July 9th to collect 500,000 sigs. Let's make our great state of Michigan the shining light on the hill and the leader of our great nation once again...let's make history once again! Obviously, we are not going to get any help from our current legislators. OUR FUTURE IS NOW IN OUR HANDS, SO WHAT WILL WE DO WITH IT?

For the "facts" you are

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on March 22, 2012 - 10:53am.

For the "facts" you are looking for regarding the use of medical marijauna for glaucoma you may refer to the Michigan Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Glaucoma Society, the American Medical Association, the National Eye Institute, or the Michigan State Medical Society. All of these organizations are against the use of medical marijauna for treatment of glaucoma.

Who is Tim Page and why is

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on March 22, 2012 - 8:57am.

Who is Tim Page and why is his word becoming fact. Many physicians disagree, and marijuana does help glaucoma. The reason we can't prove this concretely has to do with the fact that marijuana has never been properly experimented with. It is a schedule 1 drug (more harsh than cocaine??!!) So barely any physicians can gain the proper liscensing to even test it. If Tim Page is going to deny sick people medicine he better have facts, not just an opinion. And is he an MD?, a DO?, what were his MCAT scores?, because I know plenty of doctors who have scores over 35 and agree marijuana is helpful for glaucoma, we just don't know how and why yet. Don't let these close minded senators brainwash you into thinking marijuana doesn't help anyone, it does. Why else would there be over 130,000 patients in michigan within the first 3 years of the program. It's medical marijuana that will end the discrimination of marijuana and we will be able to test it to see its actual benefits. There have already been documented studies to show marijuana kills cancer cells, and may reverse alzheimer's disease, if you don't believe google it, theres a nice article on bbc.uk

Senate Bill 977 Remove Glaucoma From the MI Med MJ Act

Submitted by Daniel Solano (not verified) on March 22, 2012 - 11:42am.

I was at the hearing, one of the doctors stated " it will only affect 500 patients". Only 500? I thought a doctors hypocritical oath was "to never do harm"? Perhaps they can harm 500 before the oath kicks in? If one patient is harmed because they are no longer protected by the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act that is one too many. Should this legislation pass, patients will be forced back into the illegal market where they are subjected to rip-offs, assaults, arrest, imprisonment, forfeiture of their property, ETC. And the story of people not using their medication or missing doctors visits has more to do with the lack of medical insurance and financial situations, not marijuana. Those doctors that testified brought shame and dishonor to their profession. Reefer madness is alive and kicking.