Pubdate: Wed, 21 Jul 2010 Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune (MN) Copyright: 2010 Rochelle Eastman Contact: http://www.startribunecompany.com/143 Website: http://www.startribune.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/266 Author: Rochelle Eastman LEGAL OR ILLEGAL, LET'S BE HONEST ABOUT ABUSE Having just returned from California and Colorado, then reading "Almost an epidemic" (July 11), about the cannabis caravans in Montana where physicians go on the road issuing marijuana cards at the rate of 150 a day, this aging hippie is hoping Minnesota does not join in the medical-marijuana mirage. As a cancer survivor, I had thought that medical marijuana was a good idea. I may yet be one of those who could legitimately use it for medical reasons. But if it were really a medical drug, I should be able to have my prescription filled at my normal pharmacy. Instead, what I saw in California and Colorado were seedy shops with hand-painted signs as subtle as "Dr. Reefer." Some storefronts shared billboard space with their recommended source of a doctor willing to issue a quick prescription for any type of pain -- sometimes by webcam. If we want to legitimize marijuana, let's be honest and call it what it is: legalization of a recreational drug. If that is what Minnesotans want, fine. Sell the product in regulated liquor stores and collect appropriate taxes. But please, let's avoid the sleaze and hypocrisy that is rampant with medical marijuana. ROCHELLE EASTMAN, SAVAGE - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D