HELP AVAILABLE FOR MISERY

I had polio in 1951, three years before the Salk vaccine. There was
great debate in 1954 about whether America should use the imperfect
vaccine or do more research for a perfect medicine. The decision was
made to begin vaccinations immediately and save hundreds of thousands
of children from the misery of paralyzing polio.

The Salk vaccine had actually been developed several years earlier,
but needed to be perfected in Rhesus monkeys, which were in short
supply. More research was needed. The newer Sabin oral vaccine was
not as safe as expected because a few children got polio every year
from the vaccine itself. More research was needed.

Now scientists have discovered that 100 million Americans received
polio vaccine contaminated with Simian Virus 40, or SV 40, which is
suspected of causing human cancer today. More research is still needed.

There will always be need for research but don't hurt people now just
because something is imperfect or "potentially harmful" later.

I now experience Post-Polio Syndrome, for which there is no known
medication or cure, but which can be helped by medicinal cannabis.
More research is again needed.

Dr. Richard Nugent, a state Health Department official, believes "more
research is needed" before medicinal cannabis should be legalized.

Denying a desperately needed medicine to seriously ill and dying
people violates the physician's Hippocratic Oath to "do no harm" by
permitting preventable harm to continue. I would gladly accept
Nugent's "potentially dangerous side-effects" in 20 years to get a
little relief from the misery today.

Delbert 0. Lewis
Little Rock