The fact that the medical use of marijuana is legal in only some states can really cause a headache for people. The problem comes when a person who is using medical marijuana wants to travel to a different state. Then they need to either stop using the pot, or risk getting in trouble in the state that doesn’t allow it. A recent incident involving TV talk show host Montel Williams illustrated this point.
Airport Security
Montel Williams, talk show host of the 1990s and early 2000s, uses medical marijuana to manage pain associated with his multiple sclerosis. He was recently traveling to take part in experimental treatment for the MS when he was stopped at the Milwaukee airport for carrying drug paraphernalia. It turns out it was just an empty pot pipe that alerted authorities, but that’s the risk people who use medical marijuana have to take. Montel was on this way back from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where he was participating in a treatment trial for MS. The study involved electrically stimulating the tongue, which allows the brain to process information better. Montel hopes the experimental study will lead to more effective treatment for things like MS, but for now, he still uses his marijuana to deal with the pain.
Risks of Using Medicinal Pot
For patients like Montel who are doing all they can to improve symptoms of diseases like MS, cancer, or AIDS, the decision has to be made if they will try something controversial like marijuana, and risk prosecution if caught. Medical marijuana laws become a nuisance to these people, and even Montel, who uses marijuana every day to manage pain, lives in New York, which by law doesn’t allow medical pot.
Montel reportedly did not criticize the officers in Milwaukee that ticketed him, but this is an issue that should be addressed, because of all the people that it may affect. There must be many people that struggle with the decision to take their medical marijuana to a place where it is illegal, and many face fines or other punishments if they do. But why should these people have to go without their medicine just because they cross a state line?
The Future of Medical Marijuana
Our states are going through a transition period here, where many are unsure if we should legalize marijuana for medical purposes or not. Some feel strongly that it should remain illegal, but many more are seeing the medical benefits of marijuana. Many patients feel they couldn’t go a day without marijuana now, and that they need the pot just to function without pain. As Montel Williams said, “I don’t get the same euphoria that other people do. I get neuropathic pain lessening, and that’s why I use it.” (1)
So what should we do? Should all 50 states legalize marijuana for medical purposes? Or will doing so make pot more available and appealing to our young people? It’s a debate that has been going on for years, but one that may come to a conclusion soon, as more and more states consider their medical marijuana laws.
Sources
(1) Empty pot pipe causes more pain for Montel Williams
Medical marijuana used to treat MS patients
Jackson woman evicted from federal housing for medical pot use