LEGALIZE MARIJUANA

One of today's hottest controversies has its basis in an ancient tradition:
the use of plants as medicine. Today, a plant with remarkable therapeutic
potential is illegal to cultivate, illegal to purchase, unavailable even to
researchers who wish to study its medical properties. The plant is called
cannabis sativa, better known as marijuana.

Despite significant evidence that cannabis has many therapeutic
applications, it is currently unavailable for medical use. What's more,
accurate information on the beneficial properties of marijuana is difficult
to obtain, even for health care professionals. As a result, most doctors
are either ignorant of the plant's benefit or intimidated by its illegal
status.

I am a supporter of NORML, the National Organization for the Repeal of
Marijuana Legislation and am involved in seeing cannabis sativa legalized
for treatment of menstrual cramps, glaucoma, AIDS, chronic pain to cite a
few, and for its value as nutrient and fiber.

Christopher Young, Watertown, New York