ANNAPOLIS — Marylanders would be able to obtain medical marijuana in 2011 if lawmakers push through a bill that would legalize the drug for patients with “debilitating” illnesses.
“In this war on drugs, there are patients being left out on the battlefield,” said Sen. David R. Brinkley, R-Carroll County, who is sponsoring the bill with bipartisan support from one-quarter of the Senate including Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr.
Sen. Jamie Raskin, a co-sponsor, said Maryland law “invites profoundly ill people to go out and meet drug dealers. And we don’t know what they are getting. The [marijuana] can be laced and spiked with any kind of thing.”
Del. Dan Morhaim, D-Baltimore County, said the bill will serve as an example for the rest of the country in how to safely distribute marijuana to patients in need.
“As a physician I’ve prescribed things far more harmful than marijuana,” Morhaim said. “Nothing restricts me from prescribing narcotics on a first visit.” He said the bill would be much tougher on marijuana distribution than state law is on more harmful drugs such as oxycontin.
The bill would require patients to obtain written certification from physicians with whom they have an “ongoing” relationship. The Department of Health and Human Resources would administer the cultivation of the plants and pharmacies or dispensaries would sell it. The bill limits patients to two ounces per month.
Charlie Smith, state’s attorney for Frederick County, said marijuana is not a legitimate medical treatment.
“[Marijuana] is more or less a medical myth at this point,” he said.
Nearly 30 witnesses testified before the Judicial Proceedings Committee in defense of the drug’s utility, including patients, doctors, nurses and police officers. Only a handful of witnesses testified against the bill.
Maryland State Police are taking a neutral stance on the bill — making this the first bill for medical marijuana that the agency has not opposed.
