FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   March 10, 2003

            Contact:   Denele Campbell 479-466-2282

Former U. S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders to Testify at Medical Marijuana Hearing

Little Rock, AR:  Dr. Joycelyn Elders will testify at the Arkansas State Capitol Tuesday March 11 on behalf of proposed legislation, House Bill 1321, that would allow for the medical use of marijuana by persons suffering debilitating medical conditions. The hearing is scheduled for 10 am before the Arkansas House of Representatives Committee on Public Health, Welfare, and Labor in Room 130.

Arkansas legislators will also hear testimony Tuesday from Denele Campbell, Executive Director of the Arkansas Alliance for Medical Marijuana, a statewide grassroots organization which has been working for patient relief since 1999. Six patients are also expected to testify, as well as Rick Ramsey, Regional Coordinator for the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA).

“Dr. Elders is a trailblazer in public health policy,” stated Ms. Campbell. “Her leadership in promoting educational programs resulted in a significant drop in teen pregnancy rates in Arkansas. We are very pleased that she will speak on behalf of this important healthcare reform.”

“We are also very proud of these patients for stepping forward to testify,” continued Ms. Campbell. “Without their efforts, and the efforts of over sixty other patients who have shared their stories with us, we would not be able to build such a powerful case for reform.”

The Alliance has conducted public meetings statewide which included a video “Illegal Healthcare: Medical Marijuana and Arkansas,” featuring Arkansas patients. The organization has also collected voter signatures on over 4500 postcards, which have been sorted by legislative districts and delivered to Arkansas representatives and senators. Educational materials have been provided to legislators over the last six months, including a publication entitled “AAMM Report,” which features summaries of all scientific studies conducted on the medical use of marijuana.

The Alliance most recently released a list of Arkansas professionals and organizations endorsing medical marijuana legislation. Subsequent to that release, one of the endorsing physicians, Dr. Leslie Landrum, released the following statement to members of the Legislature:

“I am a full time internist with a hospice program in northwest Arkansas, board certified in both internal medicine and in hospice/palliative care. I have worked with hospice either part time or full time for ten years now.

“Over these ten years, our hospice team has encountered patients with intractable nausea and vomiting, for whom oral medications cannot work. If a patient's stomach lining is irritated to the degree that the person is throwing up, a pill won't a) remain in her/his stomach long enough for absorption, or b) be absorbed effectively. Certainly, the well-known active ingredient in cannabis (THC) is available in an oral preparation, called Marinol; however, this cannot be absorbed well by an irritated stomach lining.

“Other medications are available for administration by the rectal suppository route or by the injectable route, and these can be powerful, useful adjuncts to control intractable nausea and vomiting; however, they do not work universally. Having the ability legally to recommend inhaled cannabis would augment our options for quelling intractable symptoms in the terminally ill.

“You are likely aware that the end of life provides tremendous opportunity for spiritual growth. It is very difficult for human beings to work on their spiritual issues when their physical issues are overwhelming them. That is why our team works so diligently to address physical symptoms.

“We safely use legal opioid preparations to address pain; these agents are as addictive (if not more so) than cannabis. It is imperative for our team members to be vigilant for side effects of ALL medications we prescribe for our patients, whether the medication is a controlled substance or not. This would apply to cannabis as well, of course. (In fact, the side effects of medications that are not controlled substances can be worse than those of many controlled substances.)”

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Regarding HB 1321:

The proposed legislation provides a regulatory structure by which patients suffering from any of several named ailments would be able to apply for admission to the program by providing a note from their physician, and/or copies of their medical records. Verified applicants would receive an identification card protecting them from arrest for the possession or production of limited amounts of marijuana. Programs with similar stringent regulations are currently in operation in Oregon, Washington state, Alaska, Nevada, Colorado, Maine, and Hawaii. The California medical marijuana program is less structured, making it a target for federal prosecutions.

Regarding Dr. Elders:

Former U.S. Surgeon General, and the first African American woman to hold that post, Dr. Elders is the eldest of eight children. Now a pediatric endocrinologist, she never saw a physician prior to her first year in college. At the age of 15, she received a scholarship from the United Methodist Church to attend Philander-Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas. Upon graduation at age 18, she entered the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant, where she received training as a physical therapist.

Dr. Elders attended the University of Arkansas Medical School (UAMS) on the G.I. Bill. After graduation in 1960, she was an intern at the University of Minnesota Hospital in Minneapolis and did a pediatric residency and an endocrinology fellowship at the University of Arkansas Medical Center in Little Rock. She also holds a Master of Science degree in biochemistry.

Dr. Elders joined the faculty at UAMS as a professor of pediatrics and received board certification as a pediatric endocrinologist in 1978. Based on her studies of growth in children and the treatment of hormone-related illnesses, she has written many articles for medical research publications. She was appointed Director of the Arkansas Department of Health in October 1987. While serving in that position, she was elected president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers.

She was nominated as Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Service by President Clinton in July 1993 and sworn in September 8. During the Senate hearings on her confirmation, Dr. Elders stated, "I want to change the way we think about health by putting prevention first. I want to be the voice and vision of the poor and powerless. I want to change concern about social problems that affect health into commitment. And I would like to make every child born in America a wanted child." She resigned from the post in December 1994 to continue her professional career at the University of Arkansas School of Medicine.

Dr. Elders has been active in civic affairs as a member of the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, Northside YMCA and Youth Homes. She was listed in 100 Outstanding Women in Arkansas, Personalities of the South and Distinguished Women in America. She has won such awards as the Arkansas Democrat's Woman of the Year, the National Governor's Association Distinguished Service Award, the American Medical Association's Dr. Nathan Davis Award, and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women's Candace Award for Health Science. Dr. Elders has also received multiple honorary doctorate of medical sciences degrees and honorary doctorate of letters degrees.