MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Tuesday's article, noting the introduction of a Medical Marijuana bill at
the Vermont State House, was well done but needs commentary. There are many
powerful reasons why medical marijuana should be available to anyone who
can benefit from its use. Numerous scientific studies provide a solid
foundation for its use in treating, and perhaps in some cases preventing,
cancers, auto-immune diseases (arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Crohns
disease, lupus etc), epilepsy, glaucoma, pain and stress.

How can Representative Koch not have this bill as a priority when it
provides a simple and inexpensive way to relieve the suffering of
Vermonters? Perhaps he has become a victim of the systemic misinformation
that is passed down the chain of command in the law enforcement community
starting in Washington.

What is the basis for Captain Miller's statement that marijuana can lead
some to harder drugs? Scientific studies do not find a causal link,
therefore, that literature cannot be his source. I suspect, the DEA. Their
home page, until recently, stated the self-serving, blatant lie that 10,000
studies all show marijuana to be a dangerous addictive drug with no medical
value. The Federal government is caught in decades of lies that have
ignored factual data at the expense of sick people.