DISCUSS PAIN AND POT

Sen. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, has a reputation for taking on difficult
issues; his plan to introduce legislation legalizing the use of
medical marijuana will add to the list.

But it's a battle well worth the fight for hundreds suffering chronic
pain.

Mention marijuana, of course, and the machetes come out. Already,
fellow senators are vowing to trample it before the idea gets
airborne. Sen. Ron Ramsey, a Republican candidate for Senate speaker,
says he wouldn't consider it. Newly elected to the Senate, Rep. Diane
Black, a nurse, sees a conspiracy to legalize marijuana behind Cohen's
proposal.

Nurses more than most people know the intense suffering of people in
pain. Black maintains that there are plenty of drugs on the market to
deal with pain. Yes, there are. But different drugs work for different
patients. And why not allow marijuana to be prescribed just like those
other drugs?

Americans need to get away from their discomfort over the issue of
marijuana as a medicine and on with the debate. It's long overdue for
serious discussion beyond the handful of states that have approved
laws to permit marijuana to be grown and used for medical purposes.
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments soon on whether the federal
government has any standing to stop states from passing such laws.

Obviously, Cohen's attempt to get such a law in Tennessee hinges on
the court's answer to that question. Yet, the nation seems to be with
him. A poll in USA Today showed that 80% of Americans support the use
of marijuana for medical purposes.

Tennessee should be in on the discussion. Nashville and Memphis are
leading centers in medical research. This is a state that passed the
first safety seat laws to protect young children. The comfort of the
sick and dying should be no less an issue for Tennesseans.

Cohen faced a lost cause when he first took on the state lottery years
ago, but eventually he won. He's earned a right to be heard.
Tennesseans deserve the chance to hear a rational discussion on the
matter.