Pubdate: Fri, 04 Mar 2011 Source: Montana Standard (Butte, MT) Copyright: 2011 Montana Standard Contact: http://www.mtstandard.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/609 Author: Dawn Hall MARIJUANA ABUSE NO REASON TO REPEAL A HELPFUL LAW I am writing this letter regarding the medical marijuana repeal ads I have seen lately. What they are referring to is the illegal use of marijuana and that has nothing to do with medical marijuana. It is completely unreasonable to deprive a patient that is battling with an illness such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis or any other disease that requires pain management just because someone, somewhere is abusing that particular medication. Yes, it is very unfortunate that some kids take medications illegally for recreation. Some of those are over-the-counter medications such as cough syrup. But the vast majority are prescription painkillers written to friends and family for legitimate medical conditions. National studies show that today's teens are more likely to have abused a prescription painkiller than any illicit drug. The answer is not to penalize the patient that has found a certain medication effective, but to educate our kids about the dangers and consequences of the illegal use of drugs. Dawn Hall Butte - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.