Pubdate: Mon, 05 Sep 2016 Source: Boston Herald (MA) Copyright: 2016 The Boston Herald, Inc Contact: http://www.bostonherald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/53 Note: Prints only very short LTEs. SLEAZY PITCH ON POT Misleading the public and condescending to grieving parents is one approach to win supporters to your cause, but we can't imagine it's a winning one for the supporters of Question 4. Organizers of the campaign to legalize the recreational use of marijuana sent out a fundraising email last week in which they blurred the lines between general pot use, which the ballot question would legalize, and use of marijuana for medical purposes, which of course is already legal. "If you think people in our state deserve a safer alternative to prescription painkillers, please help end marijuana prohibition on November 8 by donating today," wrote campaign manager Will Luzier, who cites the opioid crisis and deaths from overdoses as an incentive to vote yes. "If our initiative passes," he added, "medical marijuana patients will be able to seek help for debilitating diseases and chronic pain without committing a crime." Again, they can do that today - but Luzier wouldn't want to confuse anyone with the facts. The letter also cited the need to expand access to marijuana "for veterans and other patients." Of course, it's all about helping veterans! What's that Samuel Johnson said about patriotism being the last refuge of a scoundrel? Forty-six people, including health care CEOs, recovery specialists and parents who have lost children to opioid addiction, wrote to Luzier to complain that using those who have died of overdoses as a hook for a fundraising pitch was "deeply troubling." "We are far too familiar with the devastating impact of the opioid crisis on our families and families across the Commonwealth," they wrote. "While the causes of this crisis are many, we believe that legalizing recreational marijuana would only make it worse, not better." In response a spokesman for the campaign called the critics - who again include grieving parents - "props" of the opposition campaign. Supporters of Question 4 ought to make their case without exploiting a public health crisis that has nothing to do with their cause, other than perhaps making that crisis worse. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom