April 4, 2001
a® Health
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Page A3
(Thje 'Portiani* (Dbserurr
Mercury Thermometer Exchange Ottered
Hi-School Pharmacies in the Port­
land-Vancouver area will accept m er­
cury thermometers this month in ex­
change for earth-friendly, digital ther­
mometers. Undertermsoftheexchange,
the stores will provide a digital ther­
mometer with a $5.99 retail value for the
wholesales price o f $ 1.99.
The thermometers should be placed
in hard containers such as the original
thermometer case, toothbrush hold­
ers, or a small plastic soda bottle with
a screw-top lid. The container should
then be sealed in a plastic bag before
transporting it to the store.
Small classes
k Real-world
instructors
2 ? Easy transfer
*
Low cost
»
If you think these add up
to a great education,
Robotic Surgery Brings Research
Dr. Kenji Minakata o f Japan (right) observes Dr. Jeff Swanson o f Portland as he operates controls o f a robotic-
assisted and computer-assisted device during cardiac surgery at the Providence Heart Institute at Providence
St. Vincent Medical Center. The operation, the second o f its kind at Providence, is part o f a Food and Drug
Administration study to adopt robotic surgery technology into the nation's healthcare system.
Supreme Court to Rule on
Medical Marijuana
(A P ) — M arijuana is an illegal
drug, even if voters like the idea o f
using it in m edical therapy, the fed­
eral governm ent argued last w eek as
the Suprem e C ourt took a first look at
the debate over prescription pot.
T he c o u rt’s w atershed ruling, ex­
pected by June, likely w ould settle
w hether patients m ay get m arijuana
as a “m edical necessity” even though
you’ve already
passed you r first test,
Classes start the week of April 2.
Call 503-614-7270.
www.pcc.edu
Portland
Community
College
College That Fits Tour Life
conservative Fam ily Research C oun­
cil sa id e n d o rsin g m a riju a n a as
therapy sends the w rong m essage to
young people.
“ M arijuana is not good m edicine,
to p ut it sim ply,” he said.
A ruling against the club w ould
m ean the governm ent could pros­
ecu te d istrib u to rs ag g ressiv ely in
federal court, regardless o f w hether
The issue o f legalizing marijuana for medical purposes draws protests.
it is an illegal drug u nder federal law.
A ruling for the O akland Cannabis
Buyers Cooperative w ould allow spe­
cial m arijuana clubs to resum e d is­
tributing the drug in California, w hich
passed one o f the n atio n ’s first m ed i­
cal m arijuana laws in 1996.
A ruling for the federal govern­
m ent w ould not negate the C alifornia
voter initiative, but w ould effectively
prevent clubs like O ak la n d 's from
distributing the drug.
Several justices seem ed skeptical
o f the m arijuana-as-m edicine arg u ­
m ent in general, and o fth e notion that
m arijuana distributors have w hat the
c lu b ’s law yers call a m edical-neces­
sity defense in court.
As the debate unfolded inside,
one w om an carried a picket outside
the courtroom depicting a red “Stop”
sign.
It read: “ Stop arresting patients for
m edical m arijuana.”
O n the other side, Scott R ich o f the
states have approved m edical m ari­
ju a n a use.
That w ould force providers under­
ground o r out o f business altogether,
advocates o f m edical m arijuana say.
C a lifo rn ia A tto rn ey G en eral Bill
L ockyer is backing the O akland club,
arguing that the state has the right to
enforce its law allow ing seriously ill
patients to use m arijuana.
Som e patients and doctors say the
drug relieves nausea, im proves en­
ergy levels and helps com bat the
sym ptom s o f ailm ents ranging from
cancer to A ID S to glaucom a and
m ultiple drug law by distributing, and
in som e cases growing, m arijuana for
m edical use.
Voters in Alaska, Colorado, Maine,
N evada, O regon and W ashington
also have approved ballot initiatives
allowing the use ofm edical marijuana.
In Hawaii, a sim ilar law was passed by
the legislature and signed by the
governor in June 2000.
Bill Would Allow Patients
to Grow More Marijuana
(A P ) - A bill in tro d u c e d in th e
re g o n L e g isla tu re w o u ld allo w
edical m a riju an a p atien ts to g ro w
o re p la n ts , p o s s e s s la rg e r
n o u n ts o f th e d ru g and u se it to
eat a n y m e d ica l co n d itio n .
T h a t’s i f th e ir d o c to r, n atu ro -
ith o r n u rse -p ra c titio n e r th o u g h t
cal m a riju an a law .
O re g o n ’s M edical M arijuana A ct
w a s a p p ro v e d b y v o te rs in 1998.
T h e law allo w s p atien ts su ffe rin g
fro m sp e cific ailm e n ts an d sy m p ­
to m s to g ro w an d u se m a riju an a,
p ro v id e d th e ir d o c to r sig n s a ch art
n o te o r a form p ro v id ed b y the
w o u ld help.
F o rm e r R ep. Jo A n n B o w m a n
>onsored th e b ill, sa y in g th e p ro-
jsal d o es o n ly “ m in o r tw e a k in g ”
O re g o n ’s v o te r-a p p ro v e d m e d i­
sta te H ea lth D iv isio n .
P atie n ts w h o a re u n ab le to o r
d o n ’t w an t to g ro w th eir o w n plan ts
m a y d e sig n a te a ca re g iv e r to grow
fo r them .
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