FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Derek Rosenzweig
PhillyNORML, Secretary
PA4MMJ, Co-Founder
Phone: 215-586-3483
Email: derek@phillynorml.org
USE OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA TOPIC AT MEDICAL CENTER CONFERENCE
Noted Substance Abuse Counselor to Speak in Favor of Medical Legalization
Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania will hold its annual conference on Palliative Care in Medicine on November 3, 2011. The keynote luncheon speaker, Edward A. Pane, MSW, MBA, CAC, will make a presentation in favor of the medical use of marijuana and PA House Bill 1653, The Raymond P. Shafer Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act.
Mr. Pane, who is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Serento Gardens: Alcoholism and Drug Services in Hazleton, PA is also a charter member of the Board of Directors of Pennsylvanians for Medical Marijuana. He has over 35 years of counseling experience in the substance abuse field, holds a Masters in Social Work degree from Temple University; a Masters in Business Administration degree from Wilkes University and is a Certified Addictions Counselor of the Pennsylvania Certification Board (PCB). He is also a former PCB board member.
Pane noted, “I am making this presentation as a member of the Pennsylvanian’s for Medical Marijuana board of directors. My stance as a substance abuse counselor in favor of medical use of the drug is far from unusual. The majority of my colleagues join me in this opinion. It is my hope that my dedication to counseling those suffering from addiction and also fight for physicians’ rights to recommend and patients’ rights to receive medical marijuana can bring some sanity to this issue.” Pane went on to note that there now exists a substantial volume of peer reviewed medical research that demonstrates the effectiveness, and at times the superiority of marijuana in the treatment of an array of conditions.
The great majority of the audience will be trained health care professionals, primarily physicians, nurses and pharmacists. Hospital chaplains are expected as well and the event is also open to the general public. Pane noted, “This topic is uniquely suited for medical professionals who focus on both short and long term palliative care. Palliative care is that very specialized branch of medicine that focuses on patient quality of life issues so often overlooked in traditional medicine. Cannabis as medicine has proven major applicability in both short term and chronic pain and quality of life management concerns. It is by far the safest drug in the arsenal both curative and comfort medications. It has no known lethal dose and no medical complications have ever been associated with it. The more it is studied, the broader the applicability becomes.”
“The Raymond Shafer Compassionate Use Act identifies conditions for which marijuana has conclusively been shown to have a benefit. Those include severe or chronic pain; nausea, severe weight loss, muscle spasms, Chron’s Disease among others. The proposed system for providing medicinal marijuana to Pennsylvanians is among the best designed in the United States. It is my hope, for the sake of those suffering needless pain, that the legislation will soon be passed into law.”
Fielding questions at this presentation will be Dr. Denis Petro, MD, who like Mr. Pane, before the Health and Human Services Committee on 12/2/2009 in favor of the Compassionate Use Act.
More information about the Raymond P. Shafer Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act can be found on the Pennsylvanian’s for Medical Marijuana website, www.pa4mmj.org .
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