To the Editor:

The questionable premise of your medical marijuana article (Star
Tribune, Jan. 6) is that marijuana may be justifiably decriminalized
for medical use only if it is the sole medicine for treating each of
its many indicated diseases.

This tight-fisted attitude stems from the peculiar belief that
marijuana, even as a medicine, is naughty and because inappropriate
use could pose safety risks.

What makes a medicine naughty? If the possibility of inappropriate use
justifies prohibition, we should ban thousands of medicines: cold
remedies, tranquilizers, and anesthetics.

By contrast, no one has ever died from the pharmacological effects of
marijuana --- lethal overdose is essentially impossible.
Sincerely,

Billie Young and Paul Bischke,
Co-Directors
Drug Policy Reform Group
St. Paul, Minnesota 55102