Pubdate: Tue, Sept 7 1999 Source: Orange County Register (CA) Copyright: 1999 The Orange County Register Contact: http://www.ocregister.com/ Author: William Jameson IT'S TIME POLITICIANS STOP BEING PHYSICIANS To the editor: "We must free science and medicine from the grasp of politics." You may not know it,and he might not remember it, but this is a quote by President Bill Clinton. Yet it is the federal drug enforcement authorities who insist that marijuana has no medicinal value and should not be recommended by doctors. When these people get their licenses to practice medicine then they can make medical decisions; until then they must leave those decisions to those who are licensed. Even state Attorney General Bill Lockyer wonders why suffering patients can be given morphine, but not marijuana, if that's what can ease their pain. Some 5.3 million California voters supported the passing of Prop. 215 in 1996. So it's time Bill Lockyer goes to Washington to remind our president what he said. WILLIAM JAMESON Laguna Niguel - --- MAP posted-by: manemez j lovitto