Pubdate: Sun, 25 Sep 2005 Source: Washington Post (DC) Copyright: 2005 The Washington Post Company Contact: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491 Author: Bruce Mirken Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/props.htm (Ballot Initiatives) SENSELESS DEATH, SENSELESS LAW Bravo to Colbert I. King for continuing to shine a light on the needless death of 27-year-old quadriplegic Jonathan Magbie in the D.C. jail ["Justice for a 'Death of Neglect,' " op-ed, Sept. 17]. I hope his family will receive compensation for what appears to have been criminally negligent stupidity by those entrusted with Mr. Magbie's care. Mr. Magbie, who used marijuana to ease pain from the childhood injury that left him disabled, need not have gone to jail in the first place. Had Congress allowed the medical marijuana initiative passed by District voters in 1998 to take effect, he probably would be alive today. If the District's jailers have blood on their hands, so do the members of Congress who conspired to treat Mr. Magbie and patients like him as criminals. BRUCE MIRKEN Director of Communications Marijuana Policy Project Washington - --- MAP posted-by: Elizabeth Wehrman