Pubdate: Thu, 03 Nov 2005
Source: Ferndale/Berkley Mirror (MI)
Contact: 
http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=CUSTOMERSERVICE0301
Copyright: 2005 Ferndale/Berkley Mirror
Website: http://www.hometownlife.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3994
Author: Craig Covey
Note: Craig Covey currently serves on the Ferndale City Council.
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/opinion.htm (Opinion)

VOTE 'YES' ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Only one in four Ferndale residents will troop to the polls this 
Tuesday for city elections and that is unfortunate. Voting is the 
single most important duty for people living in a democracy. Though 
there are no exciting races for city council this year, there are 
important issues voters will decide. Proposal D will allow voters to 
share their opinion on marijuana use by patients with serious health problems.

Marijuana has been known and used by man for more than 4,000 years. 
It was listed as a medicinal herb by ancient Chinese physicians in 
texts dating back centuries before Christ. It's been a common drug in 
this country for more than 40 years. It was not made illegal until 
1937 when conservative law enforcement personnel whipped up a 
campaign to ban its use, which was common among Mexican immigrants in 
the West and among urban musicians. The hysteria is best displayed in 
the hilarious cult film "Reefer Madness," which warned that use of 
marijuana led to rape, murder, addiction, and madness.

Americans know differently. Marijuana is common in every strata of 
society. It is the one of the largest farm commodities in states like 
California, Oregon, and Kentucky. Presidents Clinton and Bush have 
both smoked pot, as have one hundred million other Americans. But 
this vote isn't about stoners, or past presidents. It is about 
seriously ill people effectively using marijuana to ease the nausea 
of chemotherapy or to increase their appetite to fight the scourge of 
a wasting syndrome.

Don't take my word for it. Listen instead to the American Nurses 
Association, or the New England Journal of Medicine. Read what the 
American Public Health Association says about marijuana as medicine. 
They all support decriminalization. Many states have taken this same 
action, only to be over-ruled by national politicians and drug czar 
bureaucrats.

My friend Mike Lennon was a cop for 25 years, and he writes that 
marijuana is dangerous and addictive, that smoking is not good for 
the lungs. This is true more for tobacco than pot. As he and I both 
know, tobacco is very dangerous, addictive, and bad for the lungs. 
Fortunately for Mike and me, we are not at risk for arrest and jail 
because of smoking cigarettes.

American society is replete with drug use, from the businessman's 
three-martini lunch, to the six pack of beer during the game, to the 
housewife's tranquilizers or the anti-depressants that millions take. 
We use Viagra for sex; we drink coffee to wake up. We take aspirin 
for pain, and pills to sleep. It seems silly to not face the reality 
that marijuana is safer and more common than many other legal, 
regulated substances.

Send a message that law enforcement has more serious issues than ill 
people using marijuana as medicine. Vote "yes" on D. And vote "yes" 
on A and B as well, which will bring council compensation up to cover 
inflation from 1927 dollars.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Richard Lake