Mary Tison knows what pain is.
The 62-year-old Atlas Township resident fought a years-long battle with cancer and endured multiple surgeries, months of chemotherapy, and radiation sessions that gave her second and third-degree burns.
Still, she opposes a ballot proposal that supporters say would offer patients another avenue to dealing with pain and nausea. Proposal 1, to be voted on by Michigan residents on Nov. 4, would permit the use and cultivation of marijuana for specified medical conditions, including cancer, glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, hepatitis C and MS.
‘I understand why people would want to get relief from pain,? Tison says. ‘I’ve been in a lot of pain, but to me, it’s an addictive drug. Others can be, too, but if you recuperate from your illness, would you want to get off of it? They have so many things to relieve you from pain and make you comfortable. I just have a problem with the marijuana thing. Maybe it goes back to the ?60s and that era where everyone was doing it.?
Steve Stoddard has known pain, too.
The 45-year-old Brandon Township resident was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in March. The cancer spread to his liver and stomach and he had surgeries to remove the tumor and his colon. He endured six months of chemotherapy and last week, at what was supposed to be his final treatment, the nurse who was administering anti-nausea medication to him brought up the subject of medical marijuana.
While Stoddard says he doesn’t know if he would ever be at a point that he needs it, he supports the proposal.
‘You may have one person who needs it, and 10 others who don’t,? he said. ‘But if that one person needs it, I’m all for it. The side effects aren’t getting to me as much as I see them getting to other people. If a person needs it, they should be able to have that choice? I don’t think people realize what they need or what they’d be willing to try until they are sick. If you’re terminally ill and this helps you live out your last few days comfortably, then, whatever it takes to make you comfortable.?
Dr. David Machnacki, a board-certified physician at the POH Regional Medical Center-Ortonville, favors the proposal. He notes that marijuana is an anti-emetic, a drug that is effective against nausea and vomiting.
‘There are always concerns of misuse, but like any other controlled substance, we can track who’s writing the prescriptions,? he said. ‘If it’s being diverted to other people, there’s no way to stop that, like other controlled substances. I would favor the proposal, however. Some people can’t tolerate other medications, or can’t afford them.?
The issue of misuse is one of many reasons the organization Citizens Protecting Michigan’s Kids was formed.
Matt Resch, a spokesperson for the group, which opposes the proposal to legalize medical marijuana, said the proposal is flawed and full of loopholes.
‘While the intentions are well-meaning, the consequences if passed will make it harder to protect young people from drugs and the criminal activity that comes with an increased drug trade,? he said.
Resch cites California, the first state to pass a similar law, as an example. He says that state has seen an eruption of stores known as ‘pot shops,? where patients can obtain the drug with a doctor’s note; however, the stores have become so prevalent, Resch says, that they have increased the number of drugs on the streets. Resch said the Michigan proposal does nothing to stop shops like this from opening here.
‘It’s not like on Jan. 1, you can walk into Rite-Aid and get marijuana,? he said. ‘You still have to get it from a drug dealer. (Patients) would have to go to someone illegitimate to buy it or designate someone to grow it for you.?
Dianne Byrum, spokesperson for the Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care, said the proposal is silent on where patients would obtain their marijuana, but adds they would be allowed to grow it.
‘The reality is, they are getting it now, and they fear prosecution, arrest, or jail,? she said. ‘This initiative does not allow for dispensaries. This initiative does not allow shops or storefronts, we do not allow for that. They would be illegal in Michigan.?
Byrum notes that 12 states have medical marijuana laws that date back more than 10 years and said Michigan’s proposed law is very similar to the laws in Rhode Island and Montana, which have a stater registry identification system. The new law would require a licensed Michigan physician with a legitimate doctor-patient relationship to authorize the marijuana use in writing. The Department of Community Health would be charged with implementing the system and compiling a list of doctors and the diseases for which they’re recommending the use of marijuana.
Resch sees the list of diseases as another problem. He believes the law is vaguely written for illnesses warranting marijuana.
‘You could get a state-sanctioned card for just about anything,? he said. ‘People could say, ‘I have sore feet because I have to wear high heels to work, I’d like a referral,? or ‘dry skin.? People who are addicted would use it as a way to get a state-sanctioned card to smoke marijuana any time they want.?
Byrum scoffed at the notion of getting a prescription for marijuana for sore feet or dry skin and noted that the proposed law would not allow possession or use of medical marijuana on school buses, the grounds of any school, in any correctional facility, on public transportation or in any public place. The law would not require insurance companies to pay for it or provide any government insurance benefit, nor would it offer employee protections.
She added that the proposal has the support of the Michigan Nurses Association, the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News, was brought to fruition by half a million people signing petitions in the state, and current polls show about 67 percent of voters supporting the measure.
However, Resch said he has his share of people opposing the proposal, too, including law enforcement officers.
Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Pete Burkett is one that is against a law legalizing marijuana for medicinal use.
‘I am very sensitive to the challenges that people with catastrophic illnesses face,? he said.
‘However, this law and the legalization of marijuana is not the silver bullet for their problems. With the availability of so many legal avenues for their relief, it is foolhardy to legalize something that has proven to cause so many problems in our country.?