Medical marijuana, now legal in 12 states (AK, CA, CO, HI, ME, MT, NV, NM, OR, RI, VT, and WA), remains a controversial topic in much of the United States. The Connecticut state legislature and New York State Assembly passed bills to legalize medical marijuana earlier this month. The CT bill was subsequently vetoed on June 19th by Governor Jodi Rell, who cited the bill’s failure to establish a system for distribution and regulation of marijuana as the reason for her veto. Disagreement on the best method of distribution of marijuana may also defeat the NY bill, which is currently stalled in the NY State Senate as a result of this point of contention. However, Governor Eliot Spitzer, who opposed medical marijuana in the past, announced his support for the therapeutic use of marijuana after the bill was passed and said that he would sign the bill provided that it is “properly structured.”

Although the therapeutic potential of marijuana has been established in scientific studies, controversy remains regarding whether these benefits outweigh the harm of smoking. In 1999, the Institute of Medicine released a report stating that “scientific data indicate the potential therapeutic value of cannabinoid drugs, primarily THC, for pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting, and appetite stimulation; smoked marijuana, however, is a crude THC delivery system that also delivers harmful substances.” Alternative delivery systems of THC could eliminate this objection to medical marijuana. A recent pilot study of marijuana vaporization, published in CPT, concluded that the “vaporization of cannabis is a safe and effective mode of delivery of THC.” Other smokeless modes of delivery include ingestion and the use of tinctures.