Pubdate: Fri, 22 Jan 2010 Source: Sheboygan Press (WI) Copyright: 2010 Sheboygan Press Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/h7Qo8HTr Website: http://sheboyganpress.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3993 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10/n053/a01.html Author: Robert Sharpe LET DOCTORS, PATIENTS MAKE HEALTH-CARE DECISIONS While there have been studies showing that marijuana can shrink cancerous tumors, medical marijuana is essentially a palliative drug. If a doctor recommends marijuana to a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy and it helps them feel better, then it's working. In the end, medical marijuana is a quality of life decision best left to patients and their doctors. Drug warriors waging war on non-corporate drugs contend that organic marijuana is not an effective health intervention. Their prescribed intervention for medical marijuana patients is handcuffs, jail cells and criminal records. This heavy-handed approach suggests that drug warriors should not be dictating health-care decisions. It's long past time to let doctors decide what is right for their patients; sick patients should not be jailed for daring to seek relief from medical marijuana. Robert Sharpe Policy Analyst Common Sense for Drug Policy Washington, D.C. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake