Pubdate: 18 Feb 1999
Source: Honolulu Star-Bulletin (HI)
Copyright: 1999 Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Contact:  http://www.starbulletin.com/
Author: Tom Sheeran

MEDICAL MARIJUANA ALLEVIATES SUFFERING

Sandra Lacar's opposition to medical marijuana (View Point, Jan. 30) misses
the point: It works better than the alternatives that medical science has
offered and is no more harmful than strong chemotherapy drugs. When cancer
and AIDS patients need relief from nausea, they need fast relief, and this
is what marijuana provides.

Synthetic marijuana is a pill that must be swallowed and kept down -- not
so easy when nausea is the problem. It is also slow, taking hours to work,
and frequently produces unpleasant side effects.

The argument that scientific studies haven't proved the medical benefit of
marijuana is spurious, since the government has prevented AIDS researchers
like Dr. Donald Abrams of San Francisco General Hospital from studying it
properly.

Like alcohol, morphine and fire-arms, marijuana can be used beneficially or
harmfully. Like these other potentially dangerous things, reasonable
restrictions should be used to prevent abuse. But those who can benefit
from medical marijuana should not be prevented from doing so.

Governor Cayetano is to be congratulated for recognizing that the
appropriate use of this plant should be considered on a rational basis, not
in the emotional context of moral judgment used by Lacar.

Tom Sheeran
(Via the Internet)
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