Marijuana Policy Project

Back in the 1980s, there was a popular series of TV commercials that extolled the virtues of a particular stock brokerage firm.

In one such commercial, an elementary school teacher calls on one of her young charges to recite the alphabet. When the young girl gets a few letters into it, she pauses: “E. . . F . . . EF Hutton.”

Immediately, all her classmates rush to crowd around her, cup a hand to their ears and remain absolutely motionless.

“When EF Hutton talks,” the announcer says, “people listen.”

Well, given Gov. John Lynch’s reluctance to embrace medical marijuana legislation this session, you can’t blame supporters of the bill if they feel a bit like the students craning their necks to hear what the little girl has to say.

For every time the governor has expressed reservations over a particular aspect of the bill (HB 648), they have jumped through hoops to make the issue go away.

• Feel the definition of a “debilitating medical condition” is too broad and would apply to too many ill patients?

No problem. Let’s narrow it down to specific chronic or terminal illnesses with even more specific symptoms.

• Worried that the bill does not empower the state Division of Health and Human Services to run background checks on caregivers to ensure they weren’t ever convicted of a drug-related offense?

Piece of cake. Let’s just add language to require caregivers and compassion center workers to submit themselves to state and federal criminal background checks.

Since the bill originally passed the House of Representatives on a vote of 234-138 in March and the state Senate by a 14-10 margin in April, lawmakers have done everything the governor has asked to ease his reservations.

So now that both the House (232-108) and the Senate (14-10) gave their stamp of approval to the amended 21-page measure one week ago today, there is only one thing left for the governor to do when the bill finally reaches his desk.

Sign it.

We understand the political ramifications of backing any legislation that is opposed by your attorney general and nine of the state’s 10 county attorneys.

And, yes, we understand the political ramifications of backing any legislation that has the potential of sending a signal to our young people that smoking marijuana is OK.

Well, this is one of those times when “reality” trumps “message.”

For these chronically ill individuals suffering from cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV or other diseases – who can’t stomach the side effects of heavy-duty painkillers such as OxyContin, Percocet and Vicodin – there is no legitimate reason why they shouldn’t be able to find a little comfort in their less than comfortable existence.

It’s not like we’re talking about something experimental here. The cannabis plant from which marijuana is derived was used to overcome hunger and thirst in pre-1,000 B.C. India. In ancient Greece, it was used in cases of earache, edema and inflammation. And, in A.D. 200, a Chinese physician began prescribing it to ease pain in surgical procedures.

Governor, the time has come to do the right thing. Supporters of this bill have done everything you have asked. There is only one thing left to do.

Sign the bill.