Pubdate: Wed, 30 Jul 2014
Source: Florida Today (Melbourne, FL)
Copyright: 2014 Robert Sharpe
Contact: http://www.floridatoday.com/content/forms/services/letters.shtml
Website: http://www.floridatoday.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/532
Author: Robert Sharpe
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v14/n616/a03.html

LET DOCTORS MAKE POT DECISION FOR PATIENTS

I'm writing in response to Jodi James' thoughtful Sunday guest
column, "Floridians deserve safe, legal access to medical pot."

While there have been studies showing that marijuana can shrink
cancerous tumors, medical marijuana is essentially a palliative drug.
If a doctor recommends marijuana to a cancer patient undergoing
chemotherapy, and it helps them feel better, then it's working. In
the end, medical marijuana is a quality-of-life decision best left to
patients and their doctors.

Drug warriors waging war on non-corporate drugs contend that organic
marijuana is not an effective health intervention. Their prescribed
intervention for medical marijuana patients is handcuffs, jail cells
and criminal records. This approach suggests that drug warriors should
not be dictating health-care decisions.

It's long past time to let doctors decide what is right for their
patients; sick patients should not be jailed for daring to seek relief
from marijuana

Robert Sharpe, Common Sense for Drug Policy, Washington,
D.C.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jo-D