Pubdate: Fri, 30 Jun 2000
Source: Honolulu Star-Bulletin (HI)
Copyright: 2000 Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Contact:  P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, Hawaii 96802
Fax: (808) 523-8509
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Author: Thomas C. Mountain

MARIJUANA EDITORIAL IGNORES SUFFERING OF SICK

Your June 17 editorial, "Medical marijuana law is a mistake," reveals
a consistent lack of compassion for those with serious medical
conditions, such as cancer and AIDS.

Therapies for these often fatal afflictions are so toxic that patients
frequently cannot eat. They sometime perish without the positive
effect of cannabis medicines on the human digestive system.

Instead of endless hours of nausea or violent retching, patients often
regain their appetites -- if they can find some of this expensive
remedy. Many have survived when given little or no chance without this
herbal medicine.

The editorial asserts that smoking marijuana "can be harmful just as
tobacco is -- even more so."

This is a biased viewpoint that overlooks the data supplied by various
state and federal health departments. They all agree that tobacco
causes more than 400,000 deaths each year in the United States, but
they are still looking for the first person who smoked just marijuana
and contracted fatal lung cancer.

That is not even close to comparable, as tobacco remains the No. 1
health risk in this country.

Thomas C. Mountain
Hawaii Green Cross Patients Co-op
Kaneohe
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