THE DEBATE OVER MARIJUANA AS MEDICINE

In response to "Marijuana: No Simple Answers" (July 9), there
actually is a simple answer: Marijuana is hazardous to your health.

I remember in the 1970s, Dr. Peter Bourne, the medical advisor at the
White House stated: "Cocaine is no more harmful than aspirin." We now
know the consequences of that simple, yet disastrous statement--crack
babies, cocaine cartels, corruption, etc.

And here is a simple answer from the scientists at the National
Institutes of Health: "After carefully examining the existing data,
there is no evidence to suggest that smoked marijuana might be
superior to currently available therapies for glaucoma, weight loss
associated with AIDS, nausea and vomiting associated with cancer
chemotherapy, or intractable pain." Once again, the simple answer is
that smoked marijuana has not been accepted as medicine by any
reputable medical entity.

Glenn Levant
President and founding director
DARE America
Inglewood