Sandy Grady's Dec. 5 Viewpoints piece observes that the Senate Judiciary
Committee's hearings about the medicalization of marijuana spent a lot of
energy trashing the judgement of the voters in California and Arizona.

While respect for the will of the people is an important issue, there is
also the question of whether marijuana is really the best treatment for any
conditions at all.

Jack E. McCleary, M.D., president of the California Medical Association,
recently observed that "the huge voter support of Prop. 215 is really a
mandate to the federal government that marijuana must be studied for any
medical benefits."

The federal government has been forbidding such research for many years.
If that research were now conducted and showed marijuana conferred no
benefits (or caused substantial harm) then prohibition could be justified
on the merits. Otherwise, thoughtful persons would have reason to
re-examine their positions.

Don Raichle
Irvington NJ.