Doctors may now
discuss marijuana openly
HILO >> In 1980, the doctor for Kona marijuana advocate Dennis Shields' cancer-stricken, 7-year-old stepson couldn't control the boy's nausea with standard medication.
"Dennis, can you get some grass?" the doctor asked.
Shields said he stuffed towels under the door to the boy's room at Kapiolani Children's Center to hide the smoke, which stopped the boy's nausea immediately.
The question asked by the doctor in semi-secrecy 23 years ago can now be discussed openly, according to a decision yesterday by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The court refused to review a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision that upheld a California law allowing doctors to recommend medical marijuana, thereby letting the appellate court ruling stand.
The war on medical marijuana is dead, Shields said.
Nine states, including Hawaii, now allow doctors to recommend medical marijuana. With yesterday's Supreme Court decision, many more states are likely to follow, Shields predicted.
About half of Hawaii's 1,039 registered medical marijuana patients are on the Big Island.
In Kona, medical marijuana patient Kealahoa Wells said it would be "ludicrous" to prevent doctors from recommending marijuana.
Wells is in the midst of a two-year treatment for leukemia. She gets hospital chemotherapy once a month and takes medication every day. Every Monday she takes 18 pills. Without marijuana, taking all those pills would be nauseating, she said. And marijuana allows her to sleep at night.
In July of last year, police seized medical marijuana from Wells and fellow patients John and Rhonda Robison. Police later gave some of it back because the amounts were within limits provided by law.
Wells and the Robisons filed suit against two police officers. Wells is considering a settlement. The Robisons expect to go to trial in a few months.
Such problems between medical users and police prompted extra caution during marijuana eradication missions.
"Because of the uproar, we are extra careful when we do checks of the (medical marijuana) registry," said Capt. Samuel Thomas.
Although doctors can now talk about marijuana openly, eradication is still "tyranny," Shields said. It makes patients who could benefit from marijuana fearful, he said.
