The May 2 letter, "Pot last thing a sick person needs," ranted about
the evils and dangers of marijuana use as a medicine. The author cites
almost all of the myths about marijuana (which have been disproven) as
reasons to make medical marijuana illegal.

It is blisteringly obvious the writer of this letter has no
understanding of the beneficial effects that marijuana has on sick and
dying AIDS and cancer patients. This medicine was used for thousands
of years in North America before right-wing fundamentalists labelled
it "Devil Weed" and started a century of prohibition. If we have
learned anything from alcohol prohibition it is that making ANY
substance illegal creates a black market where the drug is still
easily obtainable. It also brings the risk of organized crime into
play.

So why is marijuana still prohibited and alcohol, a far more dangerous
drug, is not? Marijuana causes zero deaths a year, it doesn't cause
immune system degradation, and it most certainly doesn't lead to
harder drugs.

To deny the sick medicine the government says is illegal is a great
folly. Just because 100 years ago there were wild and unfounded claims
on the harm marijuana can do, is no reason to keep it from those who
can truly benefit from it.

Theo Cole,
Edmonton

Related: additional articles on medicinal cannabis may be found at
http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm