Alyssa Hansen | Mitt Romney takes on medical marijuana

Weed. This one single word has the ability to incite heated debates among people of all ages.

Yet whether individuals are in favor of or against legalizing marijuana for recreational use, medicinal marijuana has been proven to help individuals with terminal illnesses, some genetic disorders and other medical issues. Whether certain politicians like it or not, medicinal marijuana keeps people alive.

Presidential GOP candidate Mitt Romney has explicitly expressed his dissension around medicinal marijuana in his campaign. After hearing from an individual with muscular dystrophy about his need for medicinal marijuana to survive, Romney repeated fervently that he was not in favor of legalizing medicinal marijuana.

The young man with the degenerative illness expressed his worries to the candidate and showed genuine concern for his survival. Five different doctors had recommended the use of medicinal marijuana for this patient, yet the federal government continues to impose fear by prosecuting those who use and prescribe such treatment.

Romney continued to ignore his pleas and ended the conversation by walking away from the wheelchair-bound man. Such a cold and apathetic reaction from a presidential candidate is appalling.

As Romney proposed in his brief conversation with the man dying from muscular dystrophy, there are synthetic forms of marijuana like dronabinol that may hold some promise for treatment. Yet these forms of treatment have been found to be much less effective and do not provide the palliative care necessary for dying individuals or for individuals in need of medicinal marijuana to survive.

Many patients are unresponsive to the synthetic forms of marijuana and therefore do not get the effects they need. It is important to allow sick people to get the care that will aid their survival and comfort in life. It is unfair for these individuals to suffer because of the federal government’s ignorance.

The Drug Enforcement Administration continues to defend the synthetic option for cancer patients and individuals with AIDS, yet fails to address the issue of those who do not respond to such synthetic treatments. What about them? Do they deserve to suffer with their illness until the day they die, even with a promising treatment at the government’s fingertips? No.

With the looming presidential election becoming increasingly evident in the media, the issue of medicinal marijuana and the availability of this extraordinary treatment are becoming apparent.

Another GOP candidate, Ron Paul, is willing to give states the right to make the decision for themselves, part of his goal of upholding the constitutional rights of individuals and states. This would take power away from the federal government and give states the right to decide whether medicinal marijuana is legal for constituents.

It is important to note that many medical organizations endorse the reclassification of cannabis so that research can be done more effectively. Such well-respected organizations include the American Medical Association, the American College of Physicians, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

In November of 2011 the American Medical Association proposed that marijuana be moved from a schedule 1 classification (the most restricted substance class) to a lower classification in order to allow for more research to be done using this substance.

In the past two months, four state governors have endorsed marijuana research and are striving to reclassify marijuana for the use in the medical field. Sixteen states have legalized medicinal marijuana as of January this year. Such progress is promising, but the influence of such strong presidential candidates’ opinions may hinder the use of this treatment.

As Mitt Romney walked away from a dying man, we are forced to ask ourselves, is this the kind of man we want running our country? And which candidate has the health of the American people at the forefront of his campaign? Because of the federal government’s statute preventing the use of medicinal marijuana, doctors and patients in states who approve the use of this treatment may be prosecuted for using a treatment that works. The issue of medicinal marijuana may prove to be a decisive issue in the 2012 election.

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