Pubdate: Thu, 10 Aug 2000
Source: Santa Barbara News-Press (CA)
Copyright: 2000 Santa Barbara News-Press
Contact:  P.O. Box 1359, Santa Barbara, CA 93102
Website: http://www.newspress.com/
Author: Robert Hansen, (Mr. and Mrs.)
Related: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n990/a03.html

DON'T DENY PATIENTS MEDICAL MARIJUANA

This is in response to a recent Voices article, "Cannabis is medicine."

If every sufferer from intractable pain and every physician who cares for 
that sufferer, and every friend and family member who loves her or him 
could testify before a jury of senators and representatives against Barry 
McCaffry's refusal to recognize cannabis as the preferred non-addictive 
analgesic medication (compare with morphine!), perhaps Congress could be 
persuaded to legislate away the prohibition against licensed responsible 
prescription and growing of medical marijuana. Everyone knows such a 
sufferer. Every doctor treats such a sufferer. All of us vote.

Please urge Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein and every member of 
Congress to respond to our pressure for humanitarian protection of 
physicians, patients and caretakers.

The Santa Barbara City Council should do more than adopt the proposed 
ordinance. It and other government bodies should ask Boxer, Feinstein, 
Capps and other lawmakers in Congress to introduce legislation supporting 
California voters -- Prop. 215 -- who demand protection of doctors who 
prescribe and sufferers who buy or grow enough marijuana to relieve the pain.

Cannabis is medicine. Legislators who have the courage to introduce and 
pass a bill that restores cannabis to the U.S. pharmacopoeia -- it was 
respected for a century until 1941 -- will be supported in future elections.

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hansen, Carpinteria
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D