Pubdate: Thu, 26 Feb 2004 Source: Delta Democrat Times (MS) Copyright: 2004 Delta Democrat Times Contact: http://www.ddtonline.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2123 Author: Gary Storck Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n253/a07.html DRUG WAR IS BIG ISSUE To the editor: Jose Melendez hit the nail on the head with his illuminating letter about the war on drugs of Feb. 3, "Stop trampling on our rights." Perhaps the most tragic facet of this war on we, the people, is the federal prohibition of marijuana as medicine. For millions of Americans suffering from diseases as diverse as HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, cancer, glaucoma, epilepsy, chronic pain and rare disorders like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, there exists no better treatment especially when all legal options have been exhausted than marijuana. And while, as Melendez notes, it is entirely legal to dose our children with toxic drugs like Prozac and other antidepressants, with possible linkage to causing suicides, or stimulants like Ritalin and Adderall, an amphetamine not that chemically different from the dreaded "meth" amphetamine that we are told is the biggest scourge on the planet, patients are denied access to a God-given medicinal herb that has never killed anyone by overdose. We constantly hear also that the prescription painkiller oxycontin is being widely abused, but because it has real medical utility for those dealing with serious pain, it remains legal. Then why can't marijuana be made available to patients under a doctor's care? It has a much lower potential for abuse and does not come with a laundry list of toxic side effects. Melendez' conclusion that the war on drugs is a crime is dead on. In this election year, it is time to honestly debate this issue. Gary Storck Madison, Wis. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin