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MILLER SEEKS DEBATE ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA ISSUE

I haven't responded, until now, to recent letters by Terrence Farley, Ocean County's first assistant prosecutor, of medical marijuana ignorance, published the day before Thanksgiving and two days after Christmas. 

Each time I tried, I was overcome with the reality that this was my late wife Cheryl's favorite time of the year.  She loved the holiday season and this was my first without her.  I chose not to deal with Farley's constant anti-medical marijuana propaganda and his Nov.  26 attack on me because of my own personal weakness.  It made me feel bad. 

All the medical marijuana lobbying Cheryl ever did was for the benefit of others.  She did not care about the consequences of talking about her own illegal medical marijuana use.  She knew, because of people like Farley, she wouldn't have legal medical marijuana in her lifetime, but she constantly fought for the rights of others with multiple sclerosis who might actually live long enough to have this medicine legally available.  In the first seven weeks after Farley's letter, "Medical marijuana still must be proven" was published, about 40 MS patients in New Jersey died.  I have no doubt Cheryl would want me to respond before it is too late for too many others.  This letter is for her. 

Farley stated his willingness to debate medical marijuana with me.  The "debate" he says we already had on News12 New Jersey was a forum where we were not supposed to directly ask each other questions.  I look forward to having a real debate with Farley, where we can freely ask each other questions. 

Concerning our TV encounter, Farley writes, "I defy Jim or anyone else to look at that tape or any other statements I have made and say that I exhibited anything but great concern and compassion for Cheryl Miller and her condition." Farley did not have the guts to speak badly about Cheryl to my face.  He saved his rudest comments for his letters. 

He wrote specifically about Cheryl on Feb.  24, 2003, "the incorrect and dangerous information that they all ( Cheryl ) disseminate does great harm to the public." Also, "This whole medical marijuana argument is and has been a hoax to try to get public support for legalized drugs!" I made the mistake of reading those quotes to Cheryl.  She looked genuinely hurt as she replied, "Why would he say I do harm to people and call me a hoax?" Then she almost cried at the thought that someone would write to a newspaper to say that her real purpose was to legalize dangerous drugs for everybody.  She felt a little better after I explained that nobody really listens to Farley anyway.  Farley's comments were meant to hurt and they did.  They were certainly not received by Cheryl as being compassionate. 

Farley says medical marijuana is a "hoax." I would like to commend Martin L.  Haines, retired Superior Court judge and former president of the State Bar Association, for getting involved.  His Jan.  8 column in the Asbury Park Press titled "High time to change strategy in drug war" included the statements, "Penalties must be reduced to recognize marijuana as mostly harmless unless used in large quantities," and "Marijuana has beneficial medical uses; sometimes it is the only source of pain relief." Montel Williams is the latest MS patient to speak up.  Farley said Williams is also doing great harm to the public.  What about former New Jersey Gov.  Brendan Byrne's recent statement that, "Marijuana is a less dangerous drug than is being portrayed by current politicians." And how about that radical hippie group that calls themselves the New Jersey State Nurses Association? They say they "recognize the therapeutic value and safety of medically recommended marijuana" and that they "support legal access to medically recommended marijuana for patients in New Jersey who are under the care of a licensed health care provider."

Who was that group in our state that declared "recent medical research has shown that the therapeutic use of certain Schedule One controlled dangerous substances ( marijuana ) may alleviate the nausea and ill-effects of certain medical treatments, such as cancer chemotherapy, and, additionally, may alleviate the ill-effects of certain diseases, such as glaucoma"? Oh yes, the New Jersey Legislature, when they passed the Controlled Dangerous Substances Therapeutic Research Act in 1981. 

Farley writes, "If any legitimate studies proved that marijuana was a reasonable medical product, I would be in favor of legalizing it for medicinal purposes." I offer Farley a unique opportunity to get the latest scientific studies, information and data from the real experts.  I will be speaking at the Third National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics, at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., on May 20-22.  I am not an expert, but I can get Farley access to other speakers who are. 

These people will speaking about the real facts derived from studies Farley says don't exist, not using propagandist rhetoric.  Farley could learn a thing or two from the real medical marijuana experts, if his goal were actually learning the truth.  I offer him the opportunity to ask the head of GW Pharmaceuticals what clinical testing led up to the marijuana sublingual spray it developed for British MS patients - still illegal for MS patients in the United States.  I would love to hear that conversation, but I don't suspect Farley will dem-onstrate the courage of his stated convictions. 

Farley knows the National MS Society does not recommend marinol, otherwise known as synthetic marijuana, for MS patients, yet he says people like Cheryl could take marinol but would rather "take dope."

Most distressing is Farley's assertion that Cheryl would not have been arrested for having even a half-pound of marijuana.  He brags that he would have treated Cheryl differently for possession than other marijuana users because of her medical condition, as if that were a good thing.  What about cancer patients or AIDS patients? What about somebody with less advanced MS than Cheryl had? Where are the Prosecutors Office guidelines for them? Since when does the Ocean County Prosecutors Office set guidelines for which medical marijuana patients get preferential treatment? I'm more comfortable with the state Legislature setting such guidelines. 

Medical marijuana legislation will be introduced in the New Jersey Assembly this year.  It likely will be known as "Cheryl's Law." Statements from the Ocean County Prose-cutors Office have been useful in persuading legislators to get involved. 

I look forward to debating Farley in the near future when I am feeling a little better.  One thing is for sure: That debate will be very public. 

JIM MILLER

Toms River