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A Berkeley filmmaker's Waiting to Inhale chronicles the medical marijuana debate. Huff & Puff By John Paul Sekulich After witnessing several of his colleagues waste away as disease bore deeper into their immune systems, Berkeley filmmaker Jed Riffe retired from San Francisco's AIDS Foundation in 1988. He noticed that the terminally ill constitute a marginalized community of people pushed to the periphery because of their condition. Science and progressive legislation are helping those who suffer from diseases like AIDS to cope with the pain, nausea, and general discomfort. Marijuana as medicine represents more than one new approach to healing, it also provides a glimpse into the legislative process and competing thoughts about the capability of the people developing realistic laws that affect their personal lives. Although the herb cannot eliminate AIDS or cancer, many terminally ill patients want the option to die with dignity. If this form of therapy can provide comfort to a person sustained by a copious amount of medically and legally accepted drugs, research may be a beneficial investment. British Columbia and the United Kingdom have already conducted preliminary research on the drug's medicinal values; Riffe was curious why the research in this country lagged. Waiting to Inhale, his current project, examines the medical and legal issues surrounding the medicinal marijuana debate. The film raises questions regarding the use of the herb as a remedy and will shed light on important research in progress. Among the benefits of a documentary, according Riffe, is the ability to reach diverse audiences. And by incorporating several different elements of the subject matter into his work, he provides a balanced portrayal. This film investigates competing thoughts on the topics of research and legitimacy. Riffe hopes that clips of various speeches and interviews with patients, doctors, activists, and law enforcement professionals will provide arguments for both sides. The filmmaker will frame the subject matter in proper context to explore the unique history behind this drug -- legal and medicinal. Legalization activists may seek shelter under the umbrella of favorable legal acceptance in the medical community. Lawmakers may try to link the medical community with legalization ef-forts, but the two groups do not share the same political agenda. Riffe sees potential for these types of political associations to be detrimental if ideas valuable to society are stifled under broad generalizations. On a larger scale, Waiting to Inhale opens consideration to familiar democratic struggles. The medical community scored a victory in September 2000 when U.S. District Judge William Alsup issued a permanent injunction barring the government from revoking the license of doctors who discuss with their patients the possibility of marijuana as therapy. Stifling speech in this fashion impedes on doctors' First Amendment Rights. Although states typically retain legislative control on debates of this nature, a finding by Congress that marijuana has no medical value contributed to a Supreme Court decision outlawing the herb as medicine except under federal law. This does not affect California's medical marijuana laws, but it demonstrates clear oppo-sition to its progress. The federal government has been fighting California's Proposition 215 since its passage in 1996. In the states that allow for the public initiative process, voters have approved of research that supports the alternative medicine. Riffe predicts that by the time his film is released, the public will have witnessed progress in the research of marijuana therapy. Utilizing the platform of the documentary drama, the filmmaker is hoping a balanced perspective on the subject will educate and demonstrate the ability of American citizens to make informed, intelligent, and compassionate decisions. John Paul Sekulich satisfies his innate curiousity by strolling around the Square and the green hills of Wildcat Canyon. Someday he hopes to rule the world. [ East Bay | Metroactive | Archives ]