Chronic headaches. Epilepsy. Cancer. All of these illnesses have been said to be relieved by one drug. The problem is that it is not legal everywhere. Even more so than that, healthcare and legislative professionals cannot agree if the benefits outweigh the risks. 

  

New Approach Missouri has a campaign to legalize medical marijuana in Missouri. The group is gaining signatures to put medical marijuana on the ballot for voters in 2018. Dan Viets, a criminal defense attorney in Columbia, Missouri, is the president of New Approach Missouri. Viets is also a member of the National Organization for the Reform of Medical Marijuana Laws (NORML). 

  

“New Approach Missouri is a campaign committee,” Viets said. “It was created and exists only for the purpose of passing a medical marijuana initiative. We are well on our way to putting a medical marijuana initiative on the ballot in Missouri this November. All of the polling indicates that the voters will certainly pass that if they have the opportunity.”

  

In his work, Viets has met a lot of people convicted of marijuana charges. One of which is Jeff Mizanskey, a veteran from Sedalia, Missouri. In 1996, Mizanskey was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole because of three nonviolent charges involving cannabis. 

  

“He had about two ounces of marijuana on one occasion and plead guilty to that,” Viets said. “He sold less than an ounce of marijuana to a friend who was in trouble. Then he had the misfortune to be charged with a third marijuana felony. He has never been convicted of any crime other than these small marijuana offenses, but for a few moments, he held in his hand a brick of marijuana. That’s his crime, but that’s possession of more than 35 grams. His third marijuana offense, he gets sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.”

  

After 21 years in prison, Missourians gathered to fight his conviction. By appealing to former Governor Nixon, Mizanksey was granted a parole hearing where he was represented by Dan Viets. The support of the community gave Mizanskey a positive outlook on the people of Missouri. 

  

“It was really exciting and kind of restored my faith in humanity because while I was there, I had seen so many people in for violent crimes, including rape, murder, and stealing that get in and out,” Mizanskey said. “To find out that I was there doing a life sentence for marijuana was kind of silly. For many days I sat and wondered where our country was going when someone can rape children and get out two or three times, and me, for having a little bit of weed and smoking some weed, is in there doing a life sentence without parole.”

  

Now, Mizanskey works for the New Approach Missouri campaign. His efforts are concentrated on gaining signatures. Mizanskey strongly believes in the right to medical marijuana. 

  

“Everybody should have a choice, and it’s not for everybody,” Mizanskey said. “But for those that it is for, they should have the choice to be able to use it. I can’t see how anybody doesn’t want to be able to help somebody else reduce their pain without having all of the side effects that a lot of the pharmaceutical pills have.”

  

Show-Me Cannabis was the first campaign that worked to pass medical marijuana. It focused on appealing to the Missouri Legislature. After an unsuccessful passing of medical marijuana in 2016, New Approach Missouri is hoping for a change. New Approach is appealing to the people.

  

“There is another group I work with called Show-Me Cannabis,” Viets said. “Show-Me Cannabis actually began the medical marijuana initiative

project and then handed it off to New Approach Missouri.”

  

Missouri Senator Jay Wasson of Greene County is among the 34 members of the Missouri Senate. Wasson thinks that many questions need to be answered before New Approach’s campaign can be effectively considered.

   

“There are some restrictions that probably need to be put on it from what I have seen from other states just to make sure that it’s regulated properly,” Wasson said. “There’s quite a bit that goes into it. Who’s going to get a license? What do they have to do to get that license? How are they monitored or regulated? Then you’re going to have another license issue of what shops can sell it. Do you have it out there just everywhere or do you have certain dispensaries that can dispense it? What is the criteria that a doctor is going to use to write a prescription?”

  

Wasson has an open-minded approach to the proposed legalization. That is not the case for all of the Missouri Legislature. 

  

“I would say that it’s closer to being a split, maybe half that are pretty much dead-set against any type of legalization and about half that would say that some legalization in the medical marijuana area would be okay,” Wasson said.

  

According to the Missouri Association of Treatment Court Professionals (MATCP), legalizing medical marijuana is not a good idea. MATCP’s reasons for this align with the large problem of cannabis use in the United States, the effects the drug has on health, educational and occupational disadvantages associated with cannabis, how marijuana is viewed in the justice system and the failure of organizations like the FDA to consider marijuana a medicine. 

  

“Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Missouri Association of Treatment Court Professionals opposes the legalization of smoked or raw marijuana,” from MATCP’s position statement. “[MATCP] opposes efforts to approve any medicine, including marijuana, outside of the FDA process and supports continued research into a medically safe, non-smoked delivery of marijuana components for medical purposes….”

  

Alan Blankenship, a circuit judge and president of the MATCP, has worked on drug-related cases for years. His concern with the proposition is the potential for more convictions based on driving under the influence. 

  

“It may not be the same types of cases, but we will likely see an increase in impaired driving related cases to start with,” Blankenship said. 

  

Blankenship would like to see a focus on research into marijuana and how professionals can create a treatment similar to that of marijuana instead of jumping to legalization. 

  

“Personally, there might be some medical applications for components of marijuana,” Blankenship said. “I think our country has done a bad job for many decades by not conducting research into the medical applications of components of marijuana and developing medicines through the existing systems that we have that are designed to help insure that we have safe and effective medications through the FDA approval process.”

  

In the medical community, marijuana has been linked to pain relief. Doctors, however, are still concerned with the details of New Approach’s initiative. Ben Lampert, a pain relief doctor at Mercy Hospital, thinks there should be a line drawn in the ways the marijuana will be used.

  

“It doesn’t make sense to me to legalize smoking marijuana for pain conditions because there are some adverse health effects to inhaling marijuana,” Lampert said. “I think if you legalized marijuana cigarettes there would be a negative effect on health.”

  

To Lampert, cannabinoids, the active elements in marijuana, might be a safer option to legalize. According to research, there are specific conditions that may be best treated by only parts of marijuana. In some cases, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the compound in marijuana that gives people a high, may be better to be left out, and in other cases it can be beneficial.

  

“There may be some medical uses for cannabinoids that don’t include THC or have less THC in them, so they don’t have the euphoria effect,” Lampert said. “That may be helpful for several types of neuropathic pain conditions or things related to MS or HIV infection. Preparations with THC may be helpful for certain psychological issues. It may be helpful for depression and anxiety.”

  

Mizanskey hopes that people will come out and vote no matter what they believe on the issue. He wants the vote to represent the people and what they want. 

  

“I’d really like people to get involved and educated,” Mizanskey said. “The ones that don’t believe, I hope they take time to educate themselves and find out the true use of medical marijuana. We are in acceptance for everything else it seems like, except for people wanting to heal themselves. The only way we can be able to do that is for people to register to vote. Sign this petition, get it on the ballot and then vote. If you’re against it, vote that way. If you’re for it, vote that way, but let’s get the consensus of the people in Missouri and see what they truly want.”

  

For those who have a strong opinion for or against the legalization, it is easy to get involved. To support the movement, sign a petition to help get medical marijuana on the ballot. To oppose the movement, speak out and share the reasons why not to legalize cannabis. For more information on New Approach Missouri’s initiative and for more ways to get involved visit http://www.newapproachmissouri.com. Visit https://www.motreatmentcourts.org/ to learn more about the issue with drugs and the criminal justice system’s view on this topic.