THE POLITICS OF POT

I find it truly disturbing that there are still those who are blatantly
opposed to the medicinal use of marijuana (Still illegal after all these
years, Feb. 28).

Opponents can throw around words like "narcotic," and "controlled
substance" until they are blue in the face, but what it really comes down
to is that these people are opposed to giving help to those who desperately
need it. The situation surrounding the medicinal use of pot is so
black-and-white that it is not even comparable to other pharmaceutical
drugs; aspirin and other pain killers cause far more hospitalizations and
medical complications than marijuana ever could, and yet no one is blindly
lobbying against them.

What the whole issue boils down to is that the opponents are afraid of this
"drug" because they know nothing about it except what they learned on the
'Just say No' commercials, and while they think they are doing society a
service, they are harming many people.

Costa Mouratidis

Vancouver