Rep. Mark Cohen

Medical Marijuana Bill Introduction news conference remarks

April 29, 2009

GOOD MORNING - AND THANK YOU FOR COMING TO THIS IMPORTANT NEWS CONFERENCE.

WE ARE HERE TO DISCUSS THE INTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATION LEGALIZING MEDICAL MARIJUANA IN PENNSYLVANIA, AS 13 STATES HAVE DONE ALREADY AND AS OTHERS, INCLUDING NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY, ARE LIKELY TO DO THIS YEAR.

FOR THIS BILL TO BECOME LAW, THE LEGISLATURE WILL NEED BOTH EMPATHY FOR LONG SUFFERING PENNSYLVANIANS AND KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE MITIGATING EFFECTS OF MARIJUANA ON THE PROGRESS OF A VARIETY OF PAINFUL DISEASES.

SUFFERING FROM THE RAVAGES OF A PAINFUL DISEASE HAS BEEN FOR SOME PEOPLE, OR IS CURRENTLY, A TERRIBLE REALITY.

BUT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED IT, IMAGINE FOR A MOMENT THAT YOU, OR SOMEONE YOU LOVE, IS IN AGONIZING PAIN. THERE IS A PILL THAT COULD HELP, BUT IT'S EXPENSIVE, IT'S ADDICTIVE, AND IT HAS HORRIBLE SIDE AFFECTS. THERE IS ANOTHER MEDICATION AVAILABLE THAT IS NOT ADDICTIVE, DOES NOT HAVE HORRIBLE SIDE AFFECTS AND IS AFFORDABLE. WOULD YOU CHOOSE THE LATER?

UNFORTUNATELY IN PENNSYLVANIA TODAY YOU DO NOT LEGALLY HAVE THAT CHOICE IF THAT CHOICE IS MARIJUANA. NOR CAN A PHYSICIAN EVEN OFFER THAT CHOICE TO YOUR LOVED ONE AS A TREATMENT OPTION.

AND THAT IS WHY TODAY, I AM ANNOUNCING THAT I AM INTRODUCING HOUSE BILL 1393 TO CREATE A SAFE AND LEGAL MEDICAL MARIJUANA SYSTEM IN PENNSYLVANIA. I AM DOING THIS ON BEHALF OF THE PATIENTS STANDING WITH ME TODAY AND THE THOUSANDS OTHERS ASKING FOR A SAFE, SENSIBLE WAY TO MANAGE THEIR PAIN. PEOPLE IN PAIN SHOULD NOT BE EITHER FORCED TO MOVE OUT OF STATE FOR TREATMENT, OR BE ALLOWED TO BE DEPENDENT ON AN ILLEGAL CRIMINAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR PAIN RELIEF.

MANY HAVE SEEN WHAT CHRONIC PAIN AND DISEASE DOES TO PEOPLE. SOME OF US HAVE BEEN IN THAT POSITION. WHETHER EXPERIENCING IT OURSELVES, OR BEING FORCED TO HELPLESSLY WATCH A LOVED ONE IN PAIN, WE HAVE SWORN WE WOULD DO ANYTHING WE COULD TO EASE THE SUFFERING. 

A PROBLEM IS THAT MANY OF TODAY'S PRESCRIBED PAIN MEDICATIONS HAVE SEVERE SIDE EFFECTS AND REACTIONS THAT CAN BE SO HORRIBLE SOME PATIENTS WOULD RATHER HAVE THE PAIN.  MANY OF TODAY'S PAIN MEDICINES ARE ADDICTIVE, LEAVING PEOPLE WITH TERRIBLE WITHDRAWAL DIFFICULTIES.

LEGAL MEDICAL MARIJUANA IS A PAIN MANAGEMENT MEDICATION THAT IS KNOWN AS BEING EFFECTIVE IN RELIEVING PAIN, HAVING THE LEAST SIDE EFFECTS, AND IS NOT GENERALLY PHYSICALLY ADDICTIVE. 

MEDICAL MARIJUANA WAS LEGALLY PRESCRIBED FPR MANY YEARS UNTIL IT BECAME STIGMATIZED DURING PROHIBITION.  WHEN PUBLIC HEARINGS WERE HELD ON MAKING MARIJUANA ILLEGAL IN THE MID-1930s, THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION TESTIFIED AGAINST IT, POINTING OUT THE MEDICAL USES OF MARIJUANA.

PROHIBITION HAS ENDED FOR ALCOHOL - IT IS NOW TIME TO END THE PROHIBITION FOR THE MEDICAL USE OF MARIJUANA. 

ONCE WORD CAME THAT I WAS PLANNING TO INTRODUCE THIS LEGISLATION, I BEGAN RECEIVING PHONE CALLS AND LETTERS FROM PATIENTS TELLING ME HOW MUCH LEGAL MEDICAL MARIJUANA WOULD GREATLY ALLEVIATE THEIR SUFFERING. 

THERE ARE LOTS OF PEOPLE IN EVERY LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT WITH CANCER, WASTING DISEASES AND HIV - DEMANDING WE ACT TO ALLOW THEM TO LIVE THEIR LIVES WITHOUT PAIN. IN LISTENING TO THEIR STORIES, I KNOW THIS IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA ALSO HAS UNIQUE PROPERTIES THAT ALLEVIATE EYE AILMENTS SUCH AS GLAUCOMA.  WHEN FACED WITH THE DECISION WHETHER TO LET PEOPLE GO BLIND, OR ALLOW THEM TO USE THE PLANT THAT WILL ALLOW THEM TO RETAIN THEIR SIGHT LONGER, I CHOOSE THAT WE LET PEOPLE WITH GLAUCOMA HAVE SIGHT FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.

THE ONLY THING BLOCKING THIS BILL’S PASSAGE IS THE OLD IMAGE THAT MARIJUANA HAS.  IT'S TIME TO CREATE A NEW, HONEST IMAGE FOR MARIJUANA – ONE AS A FORM OF TREATMENT THAT WHEN PRESCRIBED BY RESPONSIBLE DOCTORS COULD HELP THOUSANDS OF PATIENTS ACROSS THIS COMMONWEALTH.

THE NEW IMAGE SHOULD BE THAT OF THE SENIOR CITIZEN WITH CANCER, THE MIDDLE-AGED PERSON WITH HIV, THE YOUNG PERSON WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, A GRANDPARENT WITH GLAUCOMA, OR A FATHER WITH CROHN’S DISEASE.

AS YOU CAN SEE, WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE LOOKING TO GET HIGH – THAT'S THE OLD STIGMA. MEDICAL MARIJUANA CAN BE TAKEN WITHOUT THAT EFFECT.  WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ALLOWING PATIENTS TO PURCHASE MEDICAL-GRADE MARIJUANA LEGALLY, AND UNDER THE CARE OF THEIR DOCTOR, RATHER THAN THEM HAVING TO PURCHASE UNCERTAIN GRADE MARIJUANA FROM CRIMINAL SOURCES SO THEY CAN REDUCE THEIR PAIN AND LIVE THEIR LIVES.

OPPOSITION TO THIS BILL IS BASED ON FEAR AND MISINFORMATION. SOME LEGISLATORS ARE HESITANT TO ACT, FEARING THERE WILL BE A VOTER BACKLASH.  HOWEVER, THERE COULD BE VOTER BACKLASH FOR NOT SUPPORTING THIS BILL BECAUSE IT'S WHAT THE PUBLIC, AND THE VOTERS WANT.  

POLLS ARE SHOWING THAT PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR LEGAL MEDICAL MARIJUANA IS 80 PERCENT OR MORE. THIS IS AN ISSUE THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS AND SUPPORTS.

I KNOW THIS BILL IS NOT WITHOUT CONTROVERSY, BUT ITS INTENT IS TO HELP PEOPLE –

· PEOPLE WHO WANT TO FEEL BETTER;

· PEOPLE WHO WANT TO GET BETTER;

· PEOPLE WHO WANT TO RETURN TO WORK;

· PEOPLE WITH CACHEXIA, (kah-kek´se-ah) -- THE LOSS OF WEIGHT AND MUSCLE MASS CAUSED BY DISEASES LIKE CANCER AND AIDS;

· PEOPLE LIKE A FAMILY MEMBER WITH EPILEPSY;

· PEOPLE LIKE YOUR NEIGHBOR WITH CANCER;

· PEOPLE WHO ONLY WANT TO LIVE THEIR LIVES. 

SUCH PEOPLE MUST COURAGEOUSLY FACE THEIR DISEASE EACH AND EVERY DAY. WE IN THE LEGISLATURE NEED TO SHOW A LITTLE COURAGE ON THEIR BEHALF AND PASS THIS BILL THAT WILL HELP TO EASE THEIR SUFFERING.

I INTRODUCE THIS BILL, AND I URGE ITS PASSAGE. I AM WELL AWARE THAT THIS WILL NOT BE AN EASY EFFORT. BUT IT IS AN IMPORTANT EFFORT. I AM CONFIDENT THAT WE WILL ULTIMATELY PREVAIL.