Dear Viewpoints:

Reading Doonesbury lately about the marijuana for medical use leaves me
caught between tears and laughter.

This valuable medicine was taken from us in 1937 in a convoluted bill
masked as a tax act.

The American Medical Association opposed it strongly in brief sub-committee
hearings.

Only two questions were asked on the House floor: "What is this bill
about?" The answer given by speaker of the House, Sam Rayburn, "I don't
know -- it's about something called marijuana -- I think it's a narcotic or
something."

And, "What is the AMA's position?" The answer given by one of the
sub-committee members [who later became a Supreme Court Justice] was,
"They're behind us 100 percent."

Today, legitimate access to medical marijuana is still prohibited by law.
If it works to relieve any suffering and a doctor prescribes it, it is
still denied. What right does the federal government have to make such
decisions?

At least in California, voters have a chance to express their views on a
ballot; Texans should, too.

Jerry Epstein