8 - The Michigan Daily - Orientation Edition 2005
2 voters legalizeG ING
me ica marijuana a
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By Leslie Rott
Daily Staff Reporter
Ann Arbor residents passed a ballot
proposal, to allow the use of marijua-
na for medicinal purposes, yesterday.
Proposal C will waive fines for
medical marijuana patients and their
caregivers who receive the recom-
mendation of a physician or other
qualified health professional to use
marijuana for medical treatment.
The proposal also changes the cur-
rent law in Ann Arbor to lower the
fine for the third and all subsequent
marijuana offenses for non medical
users to $100. These fines include
possession, control, use, giving away
or selling of marijuana.
Although medical marijuana users
would avoid fines under the law, the
police are not required to return any
marijuana that they may seize from
patients.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm has spo-
ken out against the use of medical
marijuana, warning it will still be
illegal to use, possess or sell mari-
juana under state and federal law.
In response to the passing of Pro-
posal C, Dan Solano, a retired Detroit
police officer and medical marijuana
user, said the vote sends a positive
message to the state Legislature.
He also said he feels the vote is
symbolic.
"It does symbolize that the pub-
lic is behind amending the laws so
patients will have safe access to can-
nabis," he said.
Scio Township Trustee Charles
Ream, who has been promoting the
proposal, said, "Initially, (the pro-
posal) will help only a small number
of people, and then it will grow to
be quite a large amount once people
realize how many ailments (canna-
bis) helps."
Rich Birkett, who lost a bid for a
City Council seat in Ann Arbor's 3rd
ward, wrote the proposal. "There
are quite a few people who use
medical marijuana in Ann Arbor,"
Birkett said.
Jan Paliza, a 50-year-old Ann
Arbor resident, is one of those peo-
ple. At age 14, a car on Ford Road
in Ypsilanti hit her, and in 1998, she
was diagnosed with Multiple Sclero-
sis, but doctors still debate whether
the diagnosis is correct. "Since my
car accident, I have felt like a doc-
tor's guinea pig," Paliza said, adding
that her life is a constant struggle.
"When I take (traditional) medi-
cations, I have to deal with the side
effects." But Paliza said when she
has access to marijuana, she feels
better. "I am a better person, in better
spirits, when I smoke a joint."
Although Proposal C has not
specified conditions in which it
would be legal for patients to use
marijuana, in general medical mar-
ijuana has been shown effective in
treating pain and nausea caused by
AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis
and many other disorders.
Psychiatry Prof. Kirk Bower
described the pros and cons of
medical marijuana use. "The
major pro is to provide relief of
symptoms for patients who do
not respond to conventional treat-
ments," he said.
Bower added that a major
drawback of smoking marijuana
for medicinal purposes is that it
carries its own risks of cancer
and other lung problems.
The Food and Drug Adminis-
tration has also expressed doubt
and disdain toward the legaliza-
tion of medical marijuana, sug-
gesting further research is needed
before legalization for therapeutic
uses can be recommended.
Medical marijuana is already legal
in nine states including California,
Colorado and Vermont. In August,
Detroit passed a law legalizing medi-
cal marijuana in the city.
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