Pubdate: Fri, 25 Feb 2005 Source: Brownsville Herald, The (TX) Copyright: 2005 The Brownsville Herald Contact: http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/contact.php Website: http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1402 Author: Julian Ward SUPPORT PROPOSAL FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA Editor: I urge all Texans to support HB 658, a medical marijuana bill by Democratic Rep. Elliott Naishtat and joint authored by Republican Chairman Terry Keel. This bill will protect doctors from being investigated solely on the grounds that they discussed marijuana as a treatment option with their patients. This bill would also enable Texas jurors to hear evidence and determine whether or not the individual has a valid medical defense. Currently Texas law does not allow jurors to grant an affirmative defense related to the medical use of marijuana. Polls locally and nationally show that our citizens support legalizing marijuana for medical use. For thousands of years mankind has used medical marijuana to treat illness. Doctors and healers used medical marijuana to treat their patients with this safe and effective drug. When medical marijuana was made illegal, doctors weren't even invited to give their advice on its uses. How can we allow doctors to give their patients morphine, but not the nontoxic drug marijuana? Marijuana helps relieve the pain and symptoms of diseases from cancer to AIDS and hundreds of other illnesses. Shall we continue to prosecute doctors and patients for seeking a drug that will relieve their suffering? Other states have legalized medical marijuana. Isn't it time we showed that Texas is advanced enough to do the same? We urge all Texans to contact their state representatives to support this bill. You can contact Texans for Medical Marijuana at 512-220-9202 or www.TexansforMedicalMarijuana.org Julian Ward Austin - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake