Pubdate: Wed, 08 Jan 1997
Source: Oakland Tribune (CA)
Author: Gerald M. Sutliff

This is in regard to "Feds would penalize doctors who prescribe pot."
The feds have figured out they don't have a legal leg to stand on, with
regard to California and Arizona marijuana laws. So they have decided to
go after doctors, because the Drug Enforcement Administration has the
power to withhold doctors' rights to prescribe controlled substances.
True enough.

However, a prescription is essentially a letter to a pharmacist.
Under Proposition 215, a "letter of recommendation" is a communication
to state and local law enforcement agencies. How can the federal
government  withdraw prescription-writing authority for writing a letter
of recommendation?

The doctor who writes such a letter is not violating his Hippocratic oath,
nor is he prescribing in a fast and loose manner drugs which have been
proven to be harmful when used in excess. Nor would he be guilty of
"fraudulent prescription practices."

If the executive branch follows through with the recommendation,
doctors will not be prosecuted; they will be persecuted in a witch hunt.
All doctors, whether they believe in the possible medicinal benefits
of marijuana or not, should be concerned and outraged.

Another concern is the possibility that President Clinton will
(or has) become a captive of a new "Army of Rome." The article shows
he is being pressured to endorse the recommendations before resistance
can be mustered. If he bows to the pressure, it will show that the
bloated bureaucracy protecting an $18 billion budget is, in fact, the
"Army of Rome" and they, not the president or congress, are running the
War on Drugs, both nationally and internationally.

Gerald M. Sutliff
Walnut Creek, Calif.