Pubdate: Wed, 04 Dec 2002
Source: Lumberjack, The (CA Edu)
Copyright: The Lumberjack Newspaper, Humboldt State Univesity, 2002
Contact:  http://www.thejack.org/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2736

GOVERNMENT HYPOCRISY IS UNVEILED

After Proposition 215 passed in California in November 1996, the subject of 
medical marijuana has become a frequently and heavily debated topic.

Although Hawaii, Oregon, Colorado, Alaska, Nevada, Washington and Maine 
followed suit and voted to legalize the use of medical marijuana, the 
federal government continues to interfere.

Less than three months ago, the federal government made an unprecedented 
raid on WAMM (Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana) in Santa Cruz.

It confiscated all the plants despite the fact that WAMM is locally 
authorized, works closely with the local police and is legal in California.

Although WAMM and other groups like it do not cause trouble and are around 
for the sole purpose of providing medicine to sick people, the federal 
government continues to make waves.

We think the federal government should butt out.

In fact we have always thought that, but now that we know the federal 
government provides medical marijuana to six people in America, we are 
confused.

The federal government regularly bullies and arrests people who legally 
grow or use medical marijuana for medicine and now we realize it's turning 
around and becoming totally hypocritical.

If the federal government provides medicinal marijuana to people, that in 
of itself is an admission that the government acknowledges marijuana's 
medicinal use.

In this case we think the government should stop preventing people from 
getting the medicine they need.

Most people who use medicinal marijuana are terminally ill so why ruin what 
may be the last few years, months or even days of their lives.

Marijuana has been proven to alleviate symptoms of serious health 
conditions. For starters it has helped AIDS sufferers regain their appetite.

The facts are there and the government is ignoring them to insure the 
continued success of its greed-driven agenda.

When hundreds of thousands of Americans die each year from the effects of 
tobacco and still thousands more from drugs such as alcohol and even 
Aspirin, how can the government continue to criminalize the use of 
marijuana, which has to this day proven not to be responsible for a single 
death.

The decision should be up to each individual, not the men and women in 
government.