In the approaching election, Michigan voters will finally have the chance to cast their vote for or against the state legalization of medical marijuana.

Nearly half of a million voters signed petitions distributed by the Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care, last year, to get the medical marijuana on the ballot, a far greater number than the 304,000 signatures needed. The proposal will be listed as Proposal 1 on the Nov. 4 ballot.

See staff editorial in Opinions section

Proposal 1 would allow doctors to treat ill patients with marijuana, an illegal drug that has been used medicinally to cure ailments around the world for thousands of years. Under the proposal, marijuana would be administered to registered patients with debilitating medical conditions. HIV, AIDS, hepatitis C, cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease and other medical conditions that cause severe chronic pain, nausea, muscle spasms and/or seizures, are among those listed on the proposal.

Marijuana has not always been illegal; it was commonly used medicinally in the United States until 1937, when a change in the way the drug was taxed slowed down its use. It was made illegal in 1970, when it was declared to be a Schedule 1 type substance by the U.S. Controlled Substances Act. The act states that a Schedule 1 type drug has no current accepted medical use in the United States, and has a high potential for abuse.

“Prohibition has mishandled the problem of drug abuse in our society, and the War on Drugs has forced patients with Cancer and Multiple Sclerosis to suffer the consequences. It is now time to take care of our sick and dying and get them off the front lines of this battlefield,” said Chris Chiles Executive Director and National Board Member of University of Michigan’s Students for Sensible Drug Policy.

Many medical physicians and scholars believe that marijuana can significantly help patients. Studies have shown that the drug can alleviate pain, control spasms, and induce hunger in those who are not able gain an appetite because of the use of certain medications.

In a June 2002, San Francisco Chronicle article: “Stop the Federal War on Medical Marijuana” Andrew Weil, MD, Director of Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine said “As a physician, I am frustrated that I cannot prescribe marijuana for patients who might benefit from it. At the very least I would like to be able to refer them to a safe, reliable, quality-controlled source.”

David K. Fox, Director of Public Relations at the Michigan State Medical Society disagrees; he does not believe that marijuana is a safe, reliable, quality-controlled source. He said he believes there are a lot of unintended consequences in the medical marijuana proposals. He also said he fears smoking as a delivery system will have negative side effects on patients, and that quality-control is hard to achieve when no standard dosage can be established.

The Michigan State Medical Society, a state branch of the American Medical Association, which represents 16,000 doctors, is one group among a long list of law enforcement and medical groups that oppose Proposal 1.

“The use of marijuana for medical purposes is a decision between patients and doctors and not one that the government should get involved with,” Chiles said.

The people and the government are at odds over this issue. “If doctor’s believe that medical marijuana is in the best interest of a suffering patient, then I am for it, the government should not step-in-between the doctor and the patients wishes” said senior Sara E. Goldsmith, seeking a BS in Legal Assisting at Eastern Michigan. Her feelings are similar with many others.

Voter polling over the last 30 years shows the trend of 70 percent of American’s said they think medical marijuana should be allowed, showing a great divide between citizens and government.

If Proposal 1 wins Michigan will be the 13th state to legalize medical marijuana, joining Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.