Idaho doesn’t seem to want to make medical marijuana a priority. A concern is adding another drug to the medication market. Some say that synthetic, marijuana-derived drugs like Marinol and Cesamet do the same thing for nausea and vomiting as marijuana, so why not just leave the law as it is in Idaho? That is the question that is circling in the state.
Not all patients respond to prescribed medications, including the Marinol and Cesamet, according to Post Register. The FDA has approved the chemical compounds used to make Marinol and Cesamet, so some Idaho lawmakers believe that this is a good enough option. Cancer patients still experience loss of appetite, regardless of these pharmaceuticals relieving their nausea symptoms. Several medical marijuana strains help improve appetite, according to Dr. Donald Abrams who is the professor of Clinical Medicine at University of California.
Falsehoods and misunderstandings regarding marijuana, according to Dr. Abrams, hinder some state lawmakers from supporting legal medical marijuana. Some believe that there has not been sufficient research completed on marijuana. Marijuana has never caused a single overdose death; even the DEA’s Drug Fact Sheet states that no overdoses have been reported.
Some of our founding fathers, including George Washington, supported marijuana. Washington was quoted as saying, “Make the most of the Indian Hemp plant (cannabis) and sow it everywhere.”
Some in Idaho believe that alcohol is okay, but marijuana is not. Governor Butch Otter and Senator Mike Crapo have both been pulled over for driving while intoxicated, but won’t consider discussing medical marijuana for oncology patients, even if it is a monitored dose.
All of Idaho’s neighboring states have some legal form of marijuana. There is no good argument against medical marijuana. Those in Idaho that do support medical marijuana want to see it considered and made available for those that really do need it.