Pubdate: Tue, 15 Feb 2005
Source: Patriot Ledger, The  (MA)
Copyright: 2005 The Patriot Ledger
Contact:  http://ledger.southofboston.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1619
Author: Colleen O'Hanley
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n223/a09.html?7796

MARIJUANA SHOULD BE LEGAL FOR MEDICAL USE

I continually fail to understand why people who could benefit from the 
medical use of marijuana, as described in your Feb. 7 article, "Legal pot 
use in Mass. is not a dead issue," should be denied it.

Illegal use of drugs is a serious problem in this country and elsewhere. I 
would never trivialize it, but it seems shameful that people who could be 
helped  by marijuana are denied it, apparently because of the specter of 
its illegal  use. Although it would be ideal if the benefits of marijuana 
could be delivered  in, for example, pill form (thereby preventing risks to 
the respiratory system  from smoking), if smoking marijuana legitimately 
helps people with MS, or with  cancer pain, or with any other such serious 
condition, why on earth should they  be denied the opportunity of legally 
using it? The parallel I would draw is this: It is illegal to possess or 
use narcotics without a prescription. That does not mean, however, that the 
medical community  is reluctant to use these substances; rather, they 
constitute landmark discoveries in medicine.

Imagine having surgery and waking up to be told, "Sorry, we won't be 
sending  you home with Percocet because too many people abuse it. You'll 
just have to  endure the pain." Most of us would consider that barbaric. It 
is equally barbaric to criminalize people who are seeking to alleviate 
chronic pain or symptoms with a method that has been proven successful. If 
medical marijuana is made available through the proper channels, it should 
be monitored, tightly controlled and thoroughly tested for possible 
undesirable  effects. It should not simply be outlawed because of 
preconceived notions about  its recreational use.

Colleen O'Hanley
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom