Pubdate: Wed, 31 Oct 2012
Source: Boston Globe (MA)
Copyright: 2012 Globe Newspaper Company
Contact: http://services.bostonglobe.com/news/opeds/letter.aspx?id=6340
Website: http://bostonglobe.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/52
Author: Jack A. Cole

Weighing the Ballot Questions

MARIJUANA CAUGHT IN A CATCH-22

Your Oct. 30 editorial states, "Because marijuana has been illegal, 
and isn't regulated through the Food and Drug Administration, there 
aren't consistent guidelines for its use." Therefore, you recommend a 
no vote on Question 3.

That there "aren't consistent guidelines for its use" is because the 
federal government has listed marijuana as a Schedule I drug, and 
therefore no one in the United States is allowed to test it to 
determine whether it reaches FDA standards. As long as it remains 
illegal, we will never know enough about the drug for the Globe to 
consider it worthy of legalization.

Voting yes on Question 3 would finally allow those studies to 
commence in Massachusetts.

Jack A. Cole

Medford
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom