[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 50 (Tuesday, April 13, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E617-E618]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     SUPPORT PASSAGE OF H.R. 912, THE MEDICAL USE OF MARIJUANA ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 13, 1999

  Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 912, 
The Medical Use

[[Page E618]]

of Marijuana Act, introduced by Representative Barney Frank. This bill 
would move marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act 
to Schedule II of the Act, allowing physicians to prescribe marijuana 
to patients with a clear medical need for the drug.
  Institute of Medicine studies have shown that components of marijuana 
relieve symptoms associated with terrible diseases such as AIDS, 
cancer, glaucoma, and epilepsy. The New England Journal of Medicine 
also supports the medical use of marijuana in relieving the symptoms 
linked with these illnesses. As an appetite stimulant, marijuana can 
help prevent the weight loss associated with cancer and AIDS. It can 
alleviate the nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy. 
Marijuana has also been proven to provide some relief to patients with 
glaucoma and epilepsy. Additionally, marijuana can provide pain relief 
to millions of patients suffering from conditions ranging from post-
surgery pain to chronic muscle spasms. Often the alternative pain 
relief options for these conditions have serious side effects such as 
liver and kidney damage, stomach bleeding, and ulcers. Marijuana has 
never been shown to cause death or serious illnesses such as these.
  Opposition to medical marijuana use has often focused on the belief 
that legalizing the drug for medical use will lead to an increase in 
its recreational use. I do not condone recreational use of marijuana, 
nor does H.R. 912 seek to increase illicit use. This bill is simply 
meant to treat marijuana as we treat drugs such as morphine. It would 
only be available to those with a doctor's prescription.
  A recent Institute of Medicine report entitled ``Medicine and Health 
Flash,'' concluded that there is no convincing data to support the 
believe that the medical use of marijuana will lead to an increase in 
its illicit use. The point of making marijuana a Schedule II drug is so 
that it can be regulated as closely as other prescription drug with the 
potential for abuse. As we have learned in the failing, ``War on 
Drugs,'' treating marijuana as an illicit drug in all circumstances not 
only fails to curb its recreational use, it eliminates a potential 
treatment for some of the most painful and terrible diseases. Treating 
marijuana as a prescription drug will give doctors more alternatives 
for alleviating the pain and suffering of their patients.
  H.R. 912 would allow for the use and possession of marijuana by those 
who have been prescribed the drug by a physician. Passage of this bill 
will succeed in opening the door to increased research into the ways 
marijuana can be of a medicinal value. We must not eliminate the drug 
as a potential tool for alleviating the suffering of millions of 
Americans. I urge my colleagues to support the Medical Use of Marijuana 
Act.

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