Marijuana. Most people see it as a recreational drug and are skeptical of its tangible, medical benefits for patients with chronic pain, including those whose use of prescribed narcotics often leaves them vulnerable to addiction.
Take, for instance, the story of Janice Beecher. A Colorado resident since 1968, she suffers from osteoarthritis and chronic back pains. Until recently she had to take up to four oxycodone just to be able to make it through the day. Fortunately for her, she received a permit to use marijuana legally and is now able to live without debilitating pain and able to go days without taking the highly addictive oxycodone. Janice explained to me that "the blessing comes with the knowledge that I can pick what works for me at the dispensary. I don't have to just take what I can get on the black market."
It's cases like Janice's that compel us to come together and make truly common sense policy and regulations for a reasonable market for medical marijuana. The Colorado constitution now allows for the dispensing of medical marijuana, but currently the state does not have the oversight, regulations or authority to properly control the program. We need to propose a model that will not only destigmatize medical marijuana by working to keep it out of the hands of those who would only seek to use it recreationally, but more importantly to create a fair and regulated market that is best for the patients who can benefit immensely from it.
To work out the legislation on the issue, there are a number of interested parties whose concerns must clearly be addressed. First and foremost, we need to address the needs of patients and map out who can write prescriptions and how one can purchase legal marijuana. Further, we need to better think through the regulation of the medical dispensaries, where they can be located and how they should generally operate--after all, we are trying to regulate a medicinal drug, not perpetuate 'head shops.'
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