Pubdate: Thu, 17 Apr 2008
Source: Post-Bulletin (Rochester, MN)
Copyright: 2008 Post-Bulletin Company, LLC
Contact:  http://www.postbulletin.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1342
Author: Dennis Denzer

MEDICAL MARIJUANA MAKES SENSE

Currently, 12 states have medical marijuana laws on the books, and 
it's time Minnesota joined them.

In our state, a bill has already been passed by the Senate, and the 
House will vote on it soon. The governor has indicated he may veto 
it, even though Minnesotans favor it by a 2 to 1 margin.

The governor says he stands with law enforcement, but he ought to be 
listening to the medical professionals. For instance, the American 
College of Physicians published a paper in February urging the 
reclassification of marijuana to allow for medical use, but also 
emphasized the tremendous amount of evidence in support of its 
medical efficacy that we already have. And the physicians went on to 
urge protection from arrest for patients in states where medical 
marijuana laws exist.

ACP is the second-largest physician group in the country, with a 
membership of more than 124,000, and its supportive policy position 
is good news for patients with cancer, multiple sclerosis, AIDS, and 
chronic pain for whom medical marijuana can provide some relief.

Rather than exhibiting such a "reefer madness" mentality that relief 
is denied to sick and suffering patients, our government and our laws 
should embody the compassion that is a part of our state's character.

Dennis Denzer

Rochester
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