LETTERS, FAXES, AND E-MAIL

While there have been studies showing that marijuana can shrink
cancerous tumors, medical marijuana is essentially a palliative drug.
If a doctor recommends marijuana to a cancer patient undergoing
chemotherapy and it helps them feel better, then it's working. In the
end, medical marijuana is a quality-of-life issue best left to
patients and their doctors.

Federal bureaucrats waging war on noncorporate drugs contend organic
marijuana is not an effective health intervention. The federal
government's prescribed intervention for medical marijuana patients is
handcuffs, jail cells and criminal records. This heavy-handed approach
suggests drug warriors are not well-suited to dictate health care decisions.

It's long past time Congress showed some leadership on the issue and
passed legislation reaffirming the Constitution's 10th Amendment
guarantee of states' rights. States that prefer to cage sick patients
for daring to feel better can continue to do so. The more enlightened
states that have passed compassionate-use legislation should not be
stymied by a federal government that really should have better things
to do.

Robert Sharpe

Policy analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, D.C.