Pubdate: Wed, 14 Apr 2004 Source: Detroit Metro Times (MI) Copyright: 2004 Metro Times, Inc. Contact: http://www.metrotimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/752 Author: Bruce Mirken Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n542/a05.html Related: the Detroit medical cannabis initiative http://www.mmdetroit.org/ Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal) ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA Calvin Trent of the Partnership for a Drug-Free Detroit appears to be deeply confused about medical marijuana ("Pot, Pain and Politics," Metro Times, April 7). He says his reason for opposing the medical marijuana initiative is that "we're against smoking," but surely an expert on drug abuse knows that marijuana need not be smoked to be used as medicine. Simple devices called vaporizers give patients the fast action and dose control they need (and which are major advantages of smoking as opposed to oral ingestion of either marijuana or Marinol) while eliminating nearly all of the irritants in the smoke. As for Trent's worry about "massive abuse," it simply hasn't happened in the eight states with medical marijuana laws. Indeed, a 2002 report by the General Accounting Office - the investigative arm of Congress - - found that the majority of 37 police agencies interviewed reported that the medical marijuana laws had little or no impact on their law enforcement activities. An honest look at the facts shows that there is no reason to oppose this simple, humane initiative. Bruce Mirken, Director of Communications, Marijuana Policy Project, Washington, D.C. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake