Pubdate: Sun, 24 Mar 2013 Source: Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL) Copyright: 2013 Sun-Sentinel Company Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/mVLAxQfA Website: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/159 Author: John Chase Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v13/n126/a08.html Page: 16A LEGALIZING MARIJUANA Regarding Mike Mayo's March 19 column about legalizing marijuana: He's right. Medical marijuana is serious stuff. Cheech and Chong have been overtaken by a world of anecdotal evidence that marijuana is an effective medicine. Opponents will say marijuana is not an approved medicine. True, the Drug Enforcement Administration has been blocking even FDA- approved protocols for study unless designed to assess only the risks. Recent polls indicate that voters want to get patients out of the drugwar. The Florida Legislature must make a choice: Either voluntarily legalize marijuana as medicine this year, or be forced to do so next year by a citizen's initiative. If I were the president of the Senate or Speaker of the House, I would do it this year so I'd have more control over the outcome. John Chase, Palm Harbor - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom