MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAW SENT THE WRONG MESSAGE

Recently, ACLU President Pamela Lichty wrote in The Honolulu Advertiser
under a headline reading "Marijuana bill misunderstood" that the Hawaii
Medical Association's opposition to the medical use of marijuana is
misplaced due "to its failure to read and understand the language of the
recently approved legislation."

I believe that opposition to the law should result precisely from the fact
that in addition to the HMA, a huge segment of our society has also failed
to read and understand the language of this recently approved legislation;
namely, our parents and children, users and nonusers alike.

Maui Youth and Family Services Inc. operates Ho'omaka Hou (A New Beginning),
one of only two adolescent residential substance-abuse treatment programs in
Hawai'i. Recently, we had a 14-year-old who was admitted into the program
for marijuana addiction. He was accompanied by his mother, who stated that
she and her husband were opposed to his court-ordered participation in
treatment because, "My son doesn't belong in your program. They just
legalized marijuana."

Supporters and legislators have argued that legalization of compassionate
medical marijuana use would not send the wrong message to juveniles. Well, I
suggest that it already has, and to their parents, too.

Gail Gnazzo, Executive Director
Maui Youth & Family Services