United States Senate Member
28th Wells Avenue, Building 3
Yonker, NY 10701
Dear Senator Steward-Cousins
I would like to urge you to support the Compassionate Care act as envisioned in the senate bill S-4406 and Assembly bill A-6357 (NY: Medical Marijuana Bills Introduced: Assembly Bill 6357 and Senate Bill 4406). As constituent of district 35 and a resident of the larger state of New York, I believe that this act would provide a pragmatic framework for controlled use of medicinal marijuana.
Medicinal marijuana is a term used to refer to the use of cannabis sativa to alleviate the symptoms of diseases such as anxiety, loss of appetite, pain and nausea (Joy, et. al 77). A study by the Institute of Medicine on the medical viability of marijuana found that it can be used to relieve symptoms in patients suffering from cancer particularly the side effects of chemotherapy, glaucoma, epilepsy, HIV/AIDS and multiple sclerosis, (Watson, et. al 550). There is a large body of research supporting the medicinal viability of Marijuana because its administration because of minimal side effects (Gieringer, et. al 50).
The Compassionate Care Act will allow New York residents suffering from a number of serious ailments specified under the act to access restricted amounts of medicinal marijuana with a doctor’s prescription. As it is, it is illegal for such patients to possess or purchase medicinal marijuana because of blanket prohibitions yet the substance could alleviate their suffering. The S-4406 and A-6357 bills will provide a regulatory framework for the acquisition, possession, delivery and use of marijuana by certified caregivers or patients for certified medical uses. These important regulatory thresholds will ensure that the medical marijuana system is not abused by recreational users.
A recent poll by the University of Quinnipiac indicated that up to 88% of New Yorkers support the use of medicinal marijuana based on a doctor’s recommendation. I would urge you to rally behind the senators who are in support of the S-4406 and A-6357 bills because they embody the wishes of the majority of New Yorkers including myself.
Sincerely
Works Cited
Gieringer, Dale H, Ed Rosenthal, and Gregory T. Carter. Marijuana Medical Handbook:
Practical Guide to the Therapeutic Uses of Marijuana. Oakland, Calif: Quick American, 2008. Internet resource.
Joy, Janet E., Stanley J. Watson Jr, and John A. Benson Jr, eds. Marijuana and medicine:
assessing the science base. National Academies Press, 1999.
Watson, Stanley J., John A. Benson, and Janet E. Joy. "Marijuana and medicine: assessing the
science base: a summary of the 1999 Institute of Medicine report." Archives of General Psychiatry 57.6 (2000): 547-552.
