Re: Response to medical marijuana, July 10. James R McDonough, director of the Florida Office Of Drug Control, claims that recent ballot initiatives to legal medical marijuana are madness. This comes from a man who advocated aerial spraying of a toxic and mutating fungus upon the fragile Florida environment. After all, if he were to admit the truth regarding the medicinal use of cannabis by truly sick people, he could be out of a job. Although he makes a noble effort in admitting that cannabis holds promise as a medicine, something any government official just a few years before the initiatives would have never embraced, he; is way off base in referring to medical marijuana as causing sick people to get sicker. [continues 133 words]
I read carefully the editorial titled ''Health Care: Science is needed'' about the medical marijuana study released by the Institute of Medicine. As an activist in this area, I have become intimate with this issue and the history involved. The editorial did little to become at least familiar with the facts surrounding the medicinal use of marijuana. There is some concern with the effect on the respiratory system when marijuana is smoked. However, it was not mentioned that smoking is not the only way to ingest marijuana. [continues 311 words]
