Pubdate: Tue, 06 April 1999 Source: State Journal-Register (IL) Copyright: 1999 The State Journal-Register Contact: http://www.sj-r.com/ Author: Joan Bellm, Editor, Drug Watch World News MEDICAL USE OF MARIJUANA IS CAVEMAN APPROACH Dear Editor, Druggies of the world, unite! Eat moldy bread to get your penicillin! Drink pregnant horse urine to get your estrogen! Smoke a joint to get your THC! No sciences for druggies. Go caveman all the way! Distort medical reports and research! Demand your rights to get high! But for those of us who want good medicine, not snake oil, check the Institute of Medicine recommendations: "Smoking marijuana is a crude delivery system for THC...which raises both safety and efficacy issues." Conclusion of the Institute of Medicine: "If there is any future for marijuana as a medicine, it lies in its isolated components, the cannabinoids and their synthetic derivatives." So why all the media hype about medical benefits of the weed? The IOM Report isn't exactly new. I was saying the same thing 20 years ago to community groups. Well, think about it. There is no profit in preventing drug abuse. But there are fortunes to be made by promoting drug use, especially in production, sale and advertising. No wonder millions of dollars have been poured into marketing strategies to legalize pot. Look at the front page headline, "Medical experts find benefits in marijuana." Wow! Talk about a spin! I wonder how many will use that for a "show and tell," and how many children will die as a result. Joan Bellm Editor, Drug Watch World News, Carlinville - --- MAP posted-by: Don Beck