MEDICAL MARIJUANA HAS ITS USES

Editor, Times-Dispatch: In "Pot Does Little to Help People," Correspondent
of the Day Lawrence Lanberg is surprised that doctors aren't laughing about
medical marijuana. Why should they? As an adjunct medication, cannabis is
quite effective for persons with severe, chronic pain. Some who have been
prescribed large doses of traditional narcotic pain medications find that
small amounts of the herb can lessen their dependence on the more
stupefying drugs. That explains the comment so frequently heard about
side-effects.

More than 20 years ago, a Virginia resident, Irvin Rosenfeld, sued the
federal government because his doctors felt he needed marijuana to treat
his very painful disease. Now he is a successful stockbroker in Florida,
and although the bone tumors he suffers from were considered a cancer risk,
he is healthy and still smoking government-issued joints! We don't see
cancer rate increases among marijuana users. So what does all the talk
about carcinogens amount to?

A criminal record remains the most dangerous consequence of marijuana use.
Jailhouse suicides, rape, and exposure to AIDS, hepatitis C, and
tuberculosis must be listed, because so many find themselves behind bars.
In fact, the re-emergence of TB makes overcrowded prisons a public health
threat that affects us all.

Doctors and patients must decide the question of medical use together on a
case-by-case basis. However, seeing that a recent Time magazine survey
found 47 percent of Americans have tried marijuana, the most pertinent
question is not about its medical value, but how many users should be
considered criminals?

Lennice Werth

Crewe