Pubdate: Sat, 31 Mar 2012 Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Copyright: 2012 The Vancouver Sun Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477 Authors: Paddy Rodney and Sally Thorne LEGALIZING MARIJUANA IS A HEALTHY CHOICE Re: B.C.'S Chief Medical Officer latest to support legalizing pot, March 28 We applaud Dr. Perry Kendall, B.C.'S provincial health officer, for a timely and forward-thinking policy position on the decriminalization of marijuana. Nursing has long recognized the inherent value of a harm-reduction approach to public health policy. As nurses, we support the recent Vienna declaration, which calls for an evidence-based drug policy approach instead of treating illicit drug use as a criminal justice issue. Decriminalizing the use of marijuana for all people shifts the focus from the criminal justice system to the health care system, where there are numerous constructive and strategic approaches available to support education and the promotion of health around substance use. As nurses, we also fully appreciate the medicinal value of marijuana across a wide range of chronic conditions. We deplore the challenge that patients with many serious health effects have obtaining the supports they need to manage their chronic conditions. Paddy Rodney and Sally Thorne Vancouver - --- MAP posted-by: Matt