EDITORIAL SERVES ITS PURPOSE

Our Mission Is to Stimulate Discussion; a Medical Marijuana Opinion
Certainly Did

The statement that appears below this and every other editorial in
this newspaper reads, "The Mail Tribune offers its opinion pages to
stimulate discussion and understanding of issues important to our
community." Judging by the protesters who appeared in front of our
building Wednesday, it appears we have succeeded.

The protesters were upset about an editorial we reprinted July 31
from The Oregonian regarding an initiative on the November ballot
that would change the way medical marijuana is dispensed to those who
are qualified to receive it.

The Oregonian's editorial board said it was not yet ready to take a
position for or against the ballot measure, but it suggested the real
motivation behind the initiative -- and the medical marijuana
movement -- was eventual legalization of marijuana as a recreational drug.

Offensive and disrespectful, howled the protesters. The editorial,
they said, disparaged sick and disabled patients who are simply
seeking effective treatment for their symptoms.

Not exactly. The editorial disparaged those who use the medical
marijuana law to obtain the drug legally but who do not suffer from
terminal illnesses or severe symptoms unresponsive to conventional medications.

Let's be clear about one thing: The editorial in question was not
ours; it was The Oregonian's. In this newspaper, it was clearly
labeled "Other Views" to differentiate it from the opinions of the
Mail Tribune editorial board.

We publish opinions on a wide variety of issues from a wide variety
of viewpoints. We certainly don't agree with them all, nor do we
expect readers to. That's the reason for the "stimulate discussion"
part of our mission statement.

So let's discuss.

There is evidence that some severe and debilitating conditions
respond well to marijuana, including the nausea that accompanies
chemotherapy for cancer, or the loss of appetite and inability to
keep food down that plagues HIV sufferers. That's why Oregon voters
- -- correctly, in our view -- agreed to allow limited medical use of marijuana.

There is also evidence that some people licensed to grow marijuana
for patients are making money on the side by selling it to those
without medical marijuana cards. And, as The Oregonian pointed out,
of the 36,380 Oregonians with cards, 32,614 checked "severe pain" as
their reason for needing the drug.

Are the protesters who picketed us last week willing to swear that
not one of those people was using the law as a way to use marijuana
recreationally without fear of prosecution? We suspect not.

As for the motivation of medical marijuana advocates, many are driven
by concern for truly sick people seeking relief, and we respect that.

We note, however, that a news release announcing the protest carried
the endorsement of the local chapter of the National Organization for
the Reform of Marijuana Laws. NORML's mission, according to its
website, is "to move public opinion sufficiently to achieve the
repeal of marijuana prohibition so that the responsible use of
cannabis by adults is no longer subject to penalty."

As The Oregonian argued, that is an entirely different discussion.