RECENT LETTER AGAINST MEDICAL MARIJUANA IS WEAK ON FACTS

Jane Christmas has some very strong opinions about marijuana (Letter
to the editor, "Marijuana causes cancer and should be totally
illegal," April 2), but her grip on the facts is weak. No, marijuana
has not been shown to cause lung cancer or any other type of cancer: A
few small studies have suggested a link, but the largest and most
well-controlled studies have actually found lower rates of cancer in
marijuana smokers than in non-smokers. Indeed, THC and other
cannabinoids (marijuana's active components) have been proven to have
anti-cancer activity in literally dozens of studies.

Christmas may be sure that "there is no medical use for marijuana,"
but an awful lot of medical and public health organizations disagree.
These include the 124,000-member American College of Physicians,
California Medical Association, California Nurses Association,
American Nurses Association, American Public Health Association,
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and the American Academy of HIV
Medicine, to name just a few.

Readers interested in what the medical community thinks about medical
marijuana should read the official position paper of the American
College of Physicians, available online at
www.acponline.org/advocacy/where_we_stand/other_issues/medmarijuana.pdf

Bruce Mirken,

Director of Communications, Marijuana Policy Project

Washington, D.C.