Pubdate: Sun, 12 Dec 2004
Source: Foster's Daily Democrat (NH)
Copyright: 2004 Geo. J. Foster Co.
Contact:  http://www.fosters.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/160
Author: James Baker, Staff Writer
Cited: Common Sense for Drug Policy http://www.csdp.org
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?232 (Chronic Pain)

READERS SUPPORT STATES ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA USE

DOVER - Do you think states to be able to make it legal for people to
smoke marijuana for medicinal purposes, or should the federal
government have the right to ban the drug?

We posed that question in our reader's poll this week, and among the
260 people who responded, more than 85 percent said they were in favor
of state control, while just under 14 percent said the federal
government should be able to veto state laws.

Some responders, such as Liz of Rochester, said legalizing marijuana
makes sound fiscal sense.

"They should just legalize it like they did alcohol and put an age
restriction on it. That will stop wasting all our precious dollars in
legal fees, and will stop wasting all our courtroom time on small
petty issues."

Rick Newman of Nottingham wrote in to say marijuana should definitely
be allowed for medicinal purposes.

"We use morphine, OxyContin, and many other more potent drugs for
medical use. How can the feds stand in the way of marijuana use if it
is going to ease a patient's suffering? This is a ridiculous debate
fueled by the thought and body police among us."

On reader who claims to suffer from fibromyalgia, arthritis, and post
traumatic stress disorder said it is an "outrage" that a healing plant
put on Earth by God could be made illegal by a government.

"I use it for medicinal reasons and there is nothing that is as
multifunctional in the world. I'm tired of worrying about the problems
of trying to find it when I need it so badly. It helps me physically
and mentally it helps me to relax.

"I will never understand why it is illegal when such a destructive
thing as alcohol is legal. I have a pretty good feeling that half our
government (representatives) are a bunch of drunks anyway!"

Robin, who favors state control of marijuana for medicinal use, said
the whole issue centers around money.

"Think about it ... it's perfectly legal to take OxyContin, morphine,
Demerol, and all those other hard core drugs which one could easily
overdose on and which adversely affects the body... but Mother
Nature's painkiller marijuana... safe, efficacious, and impossible to
overdose on, is illegal.

"But hey...if it were to be legalized, just think what that would do
to all those pharmaceutical companies who have the monopoly on
pain-related drugs. It would be hugely detrimental to their profits,
and we can't have that now, can we?"

The controversy drew the attention of Robert Sharpe, a policy analyst
for Common Sense for Drug Policy in Washington, D.C., who had this to
say:

"If health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms,
marijuana would be legal. Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been
shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive
properties of tobacco.

"Marijuana can be harmful if abused, but jail cells are inappropriate
as health interventions and ineffective as deterrents. The first
marijuana laws were enacted in response to Mexican migration during
the early 1900s, despite opposition from the American Medical
Association.

"Dire warnings that marijuana inspires homicidal rages have been
counterproductive at best. White Americans did not even begin to smoke
pot until a soon-to-be entrenched government bureaucracy began funding
reefer madness propaganda.

"By raiding voter-approved medical marijuana providers in California,
the very same U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that claims illicit
drug use funds terrorism is forcing cancer and AIDS patients into the
hands of street dealers. Apparently marijuana prohibition is more
important than protecting the country from terrorism."

Conversely, some responders were adamantly opposed to legalizing
marijuana for any purpose.

"Of course you're going to feel better smoking pot, no matter what the
illness! I'm sure I'd feel a heck of a lot better smoking a joint when
I have a stress headache. Sorry, I don't think it's a good idea for
many reasons, the top one being abuse," said one reader.

Another described the whole controversy as "complete BS."

"Marijuana importation, growing, and use is against federal law. If
there are really benefits for those in 'pain,' why can't the
pharmaceutical companies produce the pain-killing drug found in
marijuana smoke in the lab and process that into a pill that the
patient can take.

"This is just a scam by the 'high times' crowd to incrementally
legalize marijuana."
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake