Pubdate: Mon, 05 Mar 2001 Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Copyright: 2001 The Vancouver Sun Contact: 200 Granville Street, Ste.#1, Vancouver BC V6C 3N3 Fax: (604) 605-2323 Website: http://www.vancouversun.com/ Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n369/a11.html?41210 Author: Costa Mouratidis THE POLITICS OF POT I find it truly disturbing that there are still those who are blatantly opposed to the medicinal use of marijuana (Still illegal after all these years, Feb. 28). Opponents can throw around words like "narcotic," and "controlled substance" until they are blue in the face, but what it really comes down to is that these people are opposed to giving help to those who desperately need it. The situation surrounding the medicinal use of pot is so black-and-white that it is not even comparable to other pharmaceutical drugs; aspirin and other pain killers cause far more hospitalizations and medical complications than marijuana ever could, and yet no one is blindly lobbying against them. What the whole issue boils down to is that the opponents are afraid of this "drug" because they know nothing about it except what they learned on the 'Just say No' commercials, and while they think they are doing society a service, they are harming many people. Costa Mouratidis Vancouver - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom