ER doctor urges pot legalization

An emergency room physician testified that in his 20 years of practice he had yet to see an overdose from marijuana.

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Published January 20, 2016 in the Rutland Herald ER doctor urges pot legalization By SUSAN SMALLHEER Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD — An emergency room physician testified that in his 20 years of practice he had yet to see an overdose from marijuana. Dr. Randolph Knight of Weathersfield, who works at Valley Regional Hospital in Claremont, N.H., told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee that he favored legalizing marijuana and more attention should be paid to heroin and opioid abuse. At a hearing Monday night at Riverside Middle School in Springfield, the doctor contradicted earlier speakers who spoke about the dangers of marijuana use, and said he had seen close to 50,000 patients in the emergency room during his 20 years. And, he said, the number of marijuana problems he had seen were “dwarfed” by the problem of alcohol abuse. “I encourage you to legalize it,” he said, and added that taxes on marijuana should be used to help people with opiate addictions. “You have a rare chance to do the right thing,” Knight told the committee. Knight was one of 21 people who testified during the Senate committee’s third hearing on the issue of legalization on held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. About 70 people attended the Springfield hearing. Of those who spoke, 13 were in favor, five against and three were divided. Several people, who said they were on the medical marijuana registry, said using marijuana helped keep them active and productive — whether it was running an inn, being an artist or taking care of a 5-year-old son. All said they wanted to dispel the stereotype that people who use marijuana regularly are lazy and unproductive. And virtually every speaker — pro and con — said they didn’t want people who are high driving Vermont’s roads. Kristi Morris, chairman of the Springfield Select Board, said he didn’t care what people did in the privacy of their homes, but he did care what they did while driving on a public highway. Police must have some way to keep those people off the highways, he said. Springfield Police Chief Douglas Johnston said he opposed legalization, and he pointed out that federal laws still prohibit marijuana use. He characterized it as a “gateway” drug. Tom Buchanan of Londonderry, a ski and snowboarding instructor at Stratton Mountain, said tourism would not be hurt by Vermont legalizing marijuana. He said many tourists coming to Vermont already use marijuana, and cited a personal experience helping a housekeeper clean rooms. The housekeeper told him she constantly finds marijuana in the rooms she cleans. Sen. Dick Sears, D-Bennington, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said after Monday night’s hearing that about 40 people attended the middle hearing in Brattleboro. He said that hearing lasted about 30 minutes, with the focus on keeping marijuana out of the hands of younger people. http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20160120/NEWS02/160129980