Questions continue on legal, medical issues concerning marijuana use

Editor--Oregon will institute a new policy in July 2015, allowing recreational use of marijuana.  At the same time Hawaii is allowing treating physicians to prescribe it for medical use.  Yet in spite of these changes questions remain on the legal medical issues concerning marijuana use.

The biggest issue is the fact that although the states are legalizing marijuana, for either medical use or both medical and personal use, the Federal government continues to be against it.

At the same the US is lacking in research on marijuana because of the fact that marijuana was illegal everywhere for so many years.

This is the foremost barrier in states implementing their laws.  One never knows, for example, when the Federal government will intervene after a law has been enacted and render a decision that makes application of the new law difficult.

In Hawaii, for example, marijuana has been a popular street drug with just about everyone, including President Obama in his youth.  Most of the time police turn aside from arresting anyone because it is so casually available.

And most of the time when people are caught with the drug, it is seldom they are asked to produce a card saying they have a legal right to use it.

Still despite the fact that Hawaii was one of the earlier states to allow medical marijuana use, it still has no legal distribution centers.

This means the underground trade is rampant, with everyone looking behind them to see whether or not when they distribute the drug, it will be confiscated and they, in turn, taken to the local police station.

Marijuana is available on the beaches, on lanais, in backyards and in Grandma's kitchen almost everywhere in Hawaii.  And the hypocrisy of allowing medical marijuana while disallowing its distribution is not lost on the average Hawaii citizen, as the notion comes up for discussion at virtually every session of the legislature, with the the issue continuing to be unresolved.

In the meantime Oregon happily has both distribution centers and very soon the ordinary citizen can buy it like candy, just for the price and the money they have.  It is also likely the prices will be reduced as well with increased competition.  And places like Hawaii will have people wondering when their State will catch up. 

In January 2010, New Jersey became the 14th state to enact a law allowing the sale of marijuana to ease the pain and suffering of chronically, seriously ill patients. The Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act was modeled after New Mexico's medical use statute which allows registered patients to purchase small amounts of marijuana (two ounces per month) to cope with debilitating illnesses. Both states also allow for state-licensed "alternative care centers" to sell marijuana. New Mexico currently has a number of distribution centers where people can legally buy pot.  Colorado's experience is highly touted for its relative successes in distributing the drug.

Folks are still confused, however, with how much marijuana is helpful and how it is dispensed.  There is information to the effect that smoking too much will create some of the same problems as cigarettes in terms of the impact on the lungs.  There are several ways of using the drug, but how will these develop within certain medical guidelines is a complex issue.  

Questions abound as to whether the law will leave people with serious medical conditions without relief, and whether the six centers initially licensed will be enough to meet demand. With many sick people unable to wait for the law to take effect in some states or for the health department to outline rules, advocates fear that people will turn to buying marijuana illegally, which would inevitably lead to superfluous possession charges. Also at issue is how purchases will be taxed. It took New Mexico two years to implement its law for medical marijuana.

These are the issues that continue to be debated on the use of medical marijuana even as the State of Oregon  prepares to legalize it for recreational use and as Hawaii lingers behind, with confusion the key word for marijuana's present status.