Tony Leys

tleys@dmreg.com

Patients, medical professionals and drug-abuse prevention specialists testified Monday about whether Iowa should relax its strict ban on medical uses of marijuana.

The conflicting opinions were offered to a committee of the Iowa Board of Pharmacy, which is considering renewing its recommendation that the state reclassify marijuana in a way that could make it easier to use legally for medical purposes.

"We're in a bit of a predicament," board Chairman Edward Maier told several dozen people who gathered for the Des Moines hearing. Maier noted that Iowa law now classifies marijuana as both a Schedule I drug, whose use is forbidden for almost any purpose, and a Schedule II drug, which could be used under strict regulation and a doctor's prescription.

The board recommended in 2009 that legislators reclassify marijuana as a Schedule II drug, which would be a step toward legalizing its use for some medical purposes. That proposal failed to gain traction.

Retired Des Moines physician Edward Hertko, a longtime proponent of legalizing marijuana, said opponents have falsely painted it as addictive and as a gateway to harder drugs. "Its hazards pale when compared with alcohol and tobacco," he told the pharmacy board. In fact, he said, marijuana is less deadly than sugar, which causes thousands of deaths each year from obesity and diabetes.

Iowa legislators last year passed a limited bill that would decriminalize possession of a marijuana extract for people with severe epilepsy. However, families who lobbied for the new law say it's unworkable, because it doesn't allow for the production or sale of the drug in Iowa, and most other states don't allow sales to non-residents.

University of Iowa pharmacy professor Ron Herman said scientific studies that compare marijuana's effects to those of placebos have found relatively small effects on such things as pain. Herman also warned that unlike patients using pharmaceuticals, people using most marijuana products don't know how strong each dose is.

"If I had a child with intractable epilepsy, and I wanted to give cannabidiol oil to treat those seizures, I would want to make sure that every dose that child is getting is the same every time." Herman said some people have suggested the University of Iowa could help ensure such standardization, but he said the university lacks such capability.

Kate Gainer, executive vice president of the Iowa Pharmacy Association, said any program to allow medical uses of marijuana must include doctors, pharmacists and other medical professionals. "If a medical marijuana program is truly to be for medical purposes, it should be part of our current medical system, and not a secondary drug distribution system," such as those being formed in some other states.

Dale Woolery, associate director of the Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy, warned that marijuana has been implicated in increasing numbers of traffic accidents and hospital visits. The current versions are increasingly potent, he said. "It's not the marijuana of 20 or 30 years ago."

But cancer patient Lori Tassin of Des Moines said she believes the drug can shrink tumors and provide other benefits. "It should be my choice," she told the board. "It should be between my doctor and me."

The full pharmacy board is to discuss the issue Wednesday. Maier, who is a Mapleton pharmacist, warned that the board does not have authority to legalize medical marijuana on its own. However, he said, the board will consider advising legislators on the issue.