MARIJUANA AS MEDICINE

To the editor:

Perhaps William J. Bennett protests too much in his Oct. 10 Outlook
article, "No time for conservatives to withdraw from culture wars." He
states that the goal of conservatives like himself is to make American
society more humane, civil, responsible and just.

But I haven't heard him push humaneness by attacking gay-bashers. He
hasn't pushed civility by chiding Rush Limbaugh for referring to
feminists as `femi-Nazis'.

Republican leadership in Congress has stood in the way of campaign
reform, mainly because they think the current system gives them a
partisan advantage.

Bennett hasn't attacked this as an affront to responsibility. Six
states have passed state laws in favor of medical marijuana, but still
sick people run the risk of being jailed if they try to stop their
suffering with this drug.

Bennett's attacks on marijuana used as medicine do not promote
justice. His culture wars aren't about making a better society, but
about keeping traditional power. What a sham.

RICK POTTHOFF
Houston