LEGAL MARIJUANA WOULD HELP MILLIONS

Have you heard the news? There is now a low-cost drug proven to ease a
cancer patient's suffering. Not only does this drug reduce the
physical and psychological pain of cancer, but, more importantly, it
restores a chemotherapy patient's appetite.

The drug, of course, is marijuana.

Unfortunately, in a 6-3 ruling last year, the U.S. Supreme Court
turned thumbs down on the drug, overturning laws in 11 states which
allowed doctors to prescribe the medication to their cancer patients.

Pouring salt into the wound, the U.S. House of Representatives -- in a
preposterous 273-152 vote -- opted likewise to outlaw the drug for
cancer patients. Representative Roy Blunt, R-Mo., turned his back on
cancer victims, as did Rep. Jim Ryun, R-Kan., and Rep. Tom Coburn,
R-Okla. Rep. John Boozman, R-Ariz., also agreed that marijuana had no
earthly medical benefits, despite the anecdotal evidence from
thousands of cancer patients. (Maybe I'm missing something, but I
don't see M.D. behind any of these congressmen's names.)

One of the amendment's co-sponsors, Rep. Rohrabacher, R-Calif., broke
down in tears during his speech in support of the bill. Talking of his
mother who died of cancer, Rep. Rohrabacher questioned the rationale
of jailing people whose only crime was the overpowering need to
relieve their pain.

I'm guessing none of the shortsighted lawmakers voting against the
amendment has ever been attached intravenously to a chemotherapy drip.
Probably never been in a room full of bone-weary cancer patients --
expressions grim, hair thinning -- stretched out on recliners as the
chemo-poison drips into their vein. (Oncologists don't like to talk
about it, but a chemotherapy patient can die from the complications of
starvation. The thing is, you don't have an appetite when you're on
chemo. Patients often lose 20 percent of their body weight thanks to
an unwelcome companion: debilitating nausea. Marijuana helps to
restore this loss of appetite.)

This archaic intolerance for doctor-prescribed marijuana is even more
difficult to swallow given the results of a recent Gallup Poll. The
poll revealed 80 percent of Americans favor doctor-prescribed
marijuana for cancer patients. Apparently, neither the U.S. Supreme
Court nor the U.S. House of Representatives are reading polls these
days. Or they simply don't care.

Remember, this is doctor-prescribed marijuana. I'm not talking about a
cancer patient making a desperate, late-night drug buy in some seedy
downtown Joplin alley. It is prescribed by a doctor in a clinically
controlled environment like any other drug. Why is this concept so
difficult to accept?

I've heard the argument against condoning doctor-prescribed marijuana.
It goes something like this: Providing medical marijuana to cancer
patients is the first step toward legalizing the drug. Nonsense!
That's like saying morphine should be outlawed as a pain reliever for
fear it, too, will become legalized. Both arguments are classic
examples of circular logic. A person makes an assumption that can't be
proven, then derives a result from this assumption to prove a point.
Political doublespeak.

To say the argument for outlawing medical marijuana is dangerously
flawed is like saying the sinking of the Titanic was an unfortunate
accident -- a towering understatement.

I'm not suggesting marijuana be legalized. Not now. Not ever. But
honestly, can't our elected officials show some compassion for the 1.4
million new cancer patients each year who have no voice of their own.

To deny medical marijuana to cancer patients is simply wrong. The
objections are irrational. The suffering is needless.