FLORIDA BEHIND OTHER STATES ON MARIJUANA LAWS

This spring, Minnesota is expected to become the 13th state to
legalize medical marijuana. Efforts are underway to make medical
marijuana legal in six other states, including New York.

This progress is understandable since marijuana is a valuable
treatment for the nausea and lack of appetite of people with AIDS or
undergoing chemotherapy.

It can alleviate pain in a number of illnesses. It is advocated by
many medical associations, nurse associations and the like.

And, in New York, 76 percent of voters favor legalizing medical
marijuana.

To date, 11 states have decriminalized marijuana and four other states
are considering this option.

Again, this progress is understandable because marijuana is a benign
drug that has been used by nearly 100 million people and has never
killed even one person.

In fact, according to government statistics, roughly 16 million people
currently smoke marijuana without any apparent adverse effect.

In 1969, President Richard Nixon appointed Pennsylvania Gov. Ray
Shafer to lead a Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse. After months
of testimony from medical experts, lawmen and health officials, the
report concluded: "Marijuana use in and of itself, is neither
causative of nor directly related with crime."

It found no basis for the gateway theory.

Alcohol, it said, was probably a greater danger and recommended that
personal use of marijuana should no longer be a crime.

This report, as with many similar reports, was ignored by the
government, which continues to portray marijuana as an extremely
dangerous drug.

Our Gov. Charlie Crist does not want to change Florida's draconian
marijuana laws even though he himself smoked marijuana when younger.
(Hypocrisy is alive and well.)

As a result, 700,000 marijuana arrests are made each year; our prisons
are filled to overflowing; many young lives are ruined and medical
marijuana is denied to the sick.

George W. Iliff

Port St Lucie