Pubdate: Wed, 26 Jul 2000
Date: 07/26/2000
Source: Exponent, The (IN)
Author: Juno Farnsworth
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1023/a03.html

Wednesday's editorial on medicinal use of marijuana was obviously
poorly researched, if it was researched at all.

The author argued that a recreational drug should not be put to
medical use when there are other drugs that work just as well. I
agree. But sometimes there is no other drug as good. This is why we
use opiates as painkillers.

But the most important medical use of marijuana is not to dull pain,
as the author seemed to think; it is to combat nausea and stimulate
the appetite. Sure, there are other drugs that do that, but none of
them have had such a profound effect on chemotherapy patients as
marijuana. None of them have actually allowed AIDS patients to gain
back much needed weight but marijuana has. It does have valid medical
use, and it's about time someone in the government decided to allow
it.

Juno Farnsworth, Freshman, School of Consumer and Family
Sciences