OREGON'S MEDICAL-MARIJUANA LAW JUST GOT HAZIER

Legitimate Users Should Be Kept Safe From Federal Prosecution

Let's get this straight: It's legal in Oregon and nine other states to
use marijuana for medicinal purposes. But you risk being busted by the
feds.

That's the crazy situation after this week's medical-marijuana ruling
by the U.S. Supreme Court. The court didn't strike down states'
pot-for-patients laws; however, the justices said users could be
prosecuted under federal law. In response, Oregon officials wisely
stopped issuing medical-marijuana cards until they could figure out
what the heck was going on.

Would it be too much to ask Congress to bring common sense and clarity
to the situation?

The court's ruling was logical. It upheld Congress' authority to
regulate drugs on a nationwide basis. But Congress' and the Bush
administration's unyielding approach to medical marijuana defies logic.

The Statesman Journal editorial board has opposed Oregon's medical
marijuana initiative as overly broad. Indeed, nearly 10,000 Oregonians
are authorized to use marijuana, compared with 13 people in Vermont,
119 in Montana, 198 in Alaska and 668 in Colorado.

However, there is strong evidence that marijuana can work better than
conventional medications in easing suffering of some people with
chronic or terminal diseases. In those situations, the greater moral
crime would be to deprive those people of relief.

Unlike millions of voters, the federal government appears blind to
that reality. Just listen to what John Walters, the director of
national drug-control policy, said in response to this week's ruling:
"Today's decision marks the end of medical marijuana as a political
issue."

What's he been smoking?

If anything, the court ruling will intensify that debate because
legitimate users are likely to choose pain relief over legality.
Rather than encouraging citizens to quietly flout the law, the feds
should face the issue head-on.

Put a moratorium on prosecuting legitimate medical-marijuana patients.
Undertake large-scale, neutral studies of the value and appropriate
role of medical marijuana.

If the Bush administration won't take those actions, Congress should
give it a nudge.