MEDICAL USE NOT WARRANTED

Contrary to Stephen Goldstein's Aug. 9 commentary, the Florida Legislature
should not pass a law legalizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes.
Among our government's chief responsibilities is to safeguard citizens from
social ills.

Although passed by voter referendum in seven states, there is virtually no
credible medical organization or study willing to stake its reputation on
the notion that pain relief for the conditions of glaucoma, AIDS or cancer
victims is best delivered by the smoke inhalation of marijuana. Indeed, the
promotion of smoked cannabis as medicine undermines the medical
profession's very own Hippocratic oath to "do no harm" in the care of patients.

The "landmark" 1999 Institute of Medicine report cited by Goldstein as
proof of the medical community's support of medicinal marijuana is a simple
case of "spin doctoring" from drug legalizers. Taken in proper context, the
report's findings result in something far different from an endorsement of
marijuana as therapy. The study's co-principal investigator, John Benson
Jr., remarked at a press conference releasing the report, "Marijuana's
medical effects are generally modest, and for most symptoms there are more
effective medicines already available on the market." Benson later added,
"We see little future in smoked marijuana as a medicine."

The drug legalization community often fails to mention that the active
ingredient in marijuana -- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) -- has been available
in oral form for pain relief therapy for some time, helping thousands with
debilitating conditions and illnesses.

Moreover, last month British researchers announced that they are close to
developing cannabinoid-based drugs that relieve pain without the euphoric
high associated with using marijuana.

We support such research and efforts to deliver compassionate and effective
pain relief. However, it will be interesting to see whether legalizers will
support such non-high-inducing drug relief, or as is often suspected,
support nothing less than freely accessible marijuana.

What is the public interest in this issue? For one, medical marijuana
legalization will in all likelihood lead to abuse of the law, as has
already been well-documented in the Netherlands and has recently led to a
local California city council initiative allowing residents to grow and use
their own medical marijuana without a prescription. Quite logically,
medical legalization and the cultural acceptance sure to follow -- perhaps
resulting in eventual full-scale legalization -- will lead to increased
drug abuse, obliterating the hard work in cutting drug consumption by half
over the last 15 years.

As we should all know by now, crime, violence, DUI incidents and workplace
accidents go hand in hand with drug use.

Legalization won't change the impact on such behavior; it will only
increase the number of such incidents. Our common sense tells us so, as
does the alarming fact that between 70 percent and 80 percent of violent
and repeat criminals in prison committed their crimes while under the
influence of illegal drugs.

We call for all Floridians to join the Miami Coalition for a Safe and
Drug-Free Community to oppose the legalization of illicit drugs like
marijuana for medical purposes.