MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILL SHOULD BE LAW

The medical marijuana bill -- passed by the Minnesota Senate last
year and likely to see action on the floor of the House in the coming
months -- should be passed into law as soon as possible.

As a patient suffering from severe neuropathy and other pain-related
conditions, this is a major issue in my life. I previously lived in

Hawaii and was a legal medical marijuana patient under that state's
program. It helped me more than the regimen of addictive, dangerous
medications I've been prescribed over the years.

And just last month, the American College of Physicians - the second
largest physician group in the United States, with a membership of
over 124,000 medical professionals - recognized marijuana's many
medical benefits with 10 pages of references and citations. Their
official policy position "strongly urges protection from criminal or
civil penalties for patients who use medical marijuana as permitted
under state laws."

Unfortunately, Governor Pawlenty has threatened to veto any medical
marijuana bill, based on the knee-jerk opposition of a small but
influential group of non-experts. The governor seems to believe that
law enforcement officers know better than medical professionals which
method of treatment would best suit an individual patient.

The governor should reconsider. This is a mainstream and popular
issue, with 2 to 1 support from Minnesotans. It's time our lawmakers
and governor listen to the physicians and their own constituents, and
end the cruel, despicable policy of arresting suffering patients for
trying to alleviate their pain.

Paul Cassenelli

Alexandria