[420 Girl]

KALAMAZOO -- For five years, state Sen. Tom George worked for Hospice of Greater Kalamazoo, sometimes prescribing a synthetic form of marijuana called Marinol to help ease a person's pain or discomfort. But George, an anesthesiologist, opposes a ballot proposal that seeks to legalize marijuana use in Michigan for those seriously ill.

State Rep. Fulton Sheen, a conservative Republican, opposed medical-marijuana use until he heard testimony from people who said they got relief from debilitating conditions by using the drug. He now supports the initiative, which could appear on the Nov. 4 ballot.

Of southwestern Michigan's 10 state lawmakers, seven said they oppose legalizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Joining George, R-Texas Township, were state Sens. Patricia Birkholz, R-Saugatuck; Cameron Brown, R-Sturgis; and Ron Jelinek, R-Three Oaks; and state Reps. Jack Hoogendyk, R-Texas Township; Tonya Schuitmaker, R-Lawton; and Rick Shaffer, R-Three Rivers. Such an initiative, they think, could lead to more crime and abuse among nonmedical marijuana users and could be the first step to complete legalization of marijuana.

"Marijuana is illegal for a reason,'' Jelinek said. "Its legalization, even for medical reasons, would denigrate our society eventually. (Using marijuana) is akin to a self-induced mental illness.''

State Reps. Robert Jones, D-Kalamazoo, and Sheen, R-Plainwell, support the initiative. They said those seriously ill should have marijuana as a treatment option if it helps and is properly regulated. "The right story needs to be told by the right people,'' Jones said. "We can't be afraid of this as a society. Marijuana is a legitimate treatment for those suffering from serious diseases.''

State Rep. Lorence Wenke, R-Galesburg, said he is undecided on the medical-marijuana initiative. "These are the types of proposals that politicians run from,'' Wenke said. "It's a very intense issue.''

Bill Ballenger, a Lansing-based political analyst and editor of Inside Michigan Politics, said it's easier for the Legislature to choose to not act on the initiative and allow voters to decide its fate. Leaders from the Senate and House have said they don't expect legislative action on the proposal. Gov. Jennifer Granholm opposes it. "Finding a legislator who forms a gutsy position on issues like medical marijuana, like supporting it, is difficult,'' said Ballenger, adding he expects voters to pass the ballot initiative.

Change of heart

Sheen said he was skeptical about supporting marijuana use for medical needs until he heard testimony from people who said it helped ease their suffering.

The 2006 hearing was held on a bill that was similar to the current ballot initiative. The measure never got out of a House committee.

"As I listened to their testimony and heard how (marijuana) had helped them, my mind began to change,'' Sheen said. "Now I look at (marijuana) as a kind of prescription drug for those who are very sick. And if it alleviates symptoms, isn't that what a prescription drug is supposed to do?''

In the 1990s Sheen's brother, who had contracted AIDS, was dying. In the final months of his life he smoked marijuana, which helped him to breathe and swallow easier, Sheen said. "Although I didn't agree with what he was doing at the time, it helped him,'' Sheen said. "But now my mind has been changed.''

But George, who worked from 1996 to 2001 at Hospice of Greater Kalamazoo, said the active ingredient in marijuana -- tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC -- is already available in pill form. Although George admits many patients to whom he prescribed Marinol responded favorably, marijuana -- even in synthetic form -- should not be "a front-line treatment,'' he said. "What is the additional benefit of legalizing marijuana?'' George said. "And even with the Marinol, it should play a small role in any treatment.''

Potential for abuse

It's estimated about one-half of 1 percent of Michigan residents, between 40,000 and 50,000 people, would be eligible for medical-marijuana use. "There is such widespread use of marijuana that having a very few patients use it legally isn't that big of a problem,'' Jones said.

Other area legislators disagree.

"Everybody's going to have a backache,'' Jelinek said of the potential for people faking chronic pain or other serious health problems.

Schuitmaker said she "sympathizes with suffering individuals,'' but still can't support the initiative. "This would be legalizing a drug that has had a detrimental effect on society and be the first step to the legalization of marijuana for nonmedical uses,'' she said. "It's a slippery slope.''

The proposal calls for registered medical users to keep the marijuana in a secure, locked location. Users who give or sell their marijuana to those who are not authorized to have it could be subject to stiff fines and possible jail time. Users also would have to register themselves with the state and carry a state-issued ID card indicating they are a registered medical user.

Even with such controls, some lawmakers question how effective enforcement and regulation will be, especially if the number of medical marijuana users increases.

"There are other options out there for very sick people (besides marijuana). By not supporting this, it's not like we're denying a dying patient relief,'' said Hoogendyk, who recently announced he will challenge Democratic Sen. Carl Levin in the U.S. Senate.

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