Pubdate: Tue, 31 Jul 2001
Source: The Post and Courier (SC)
Copyright: 2001 Evening Post Publishing Co
Contact:   http://www.charleston.net/index.html
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/567
Author: J Daniel Walker

LEGALIZING MARIJUANA

The American Medical Association is being urged to endorse marijuana as a 
last-resort pain relief for seriously ill patients. Marijuana has been 
scientifically studied for decades, and has proven to be good for stress, 
nausea, chronic pains and eye disorders but is not addictive or lethal.
Why are the AMA and our government having trouble legalizing marijuana? 
Cigarettes are addictive and rob us of oxygen and affect our ability to 
think, causing mood swings due to nicotine cravings, yet we can legally buy 
and consume them. We can legally be worked long, stressful hours that cause 
fatigue, which has the same symptoms as being legally drunk. We can legally 
buy 151 proof alcohol and drink ourselves into an alcohol-induced coma and 
die, but we can't smoke a non-addictive, non-lethal marijuana cigarette in 
our own back yard over the weekend. Marijuana is good for so many medical 
reasons that it threatens the pharmaceutical industry. If marijuana were 
legalized and people could grow a few plants a year for personal use, the 
pharmaceutical companies would lose millions. This whole drug war is really 
about protecting rich people's investments. Otherwise, all alcohol and 
nicotine products as well as caffeine would be illegal, too.

J. Daniel Walker
North Charleston
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MAP posted-by: Beth