LET THE SICK CHOOSE OWN MEDICINE

Like so many others, John A. Benson Jr. and Stanley J. Watson Jr. act as if
the medical marijuana issue is some collegial, academic discussion (May 4).
Like so many others, they leave out one significant fact -- sick people are
being jailed and their property seized because they tried to relieve their
own suffering.

It is amazing to me that, with all the research they did, they never once
considered the health effects of jailing sick people. In all their research,
did these good doctors come across any other instance in which we would jail
sick people because they chose a medicine other than what the doctor
prescribed?

Those in favor of reform would happily join in the purely academic
discussion of which is better -- homegrown medicine for free or
pharmaceutical pills at $15 each -- if our government would simply stop
punishing people for their choice of medicine.

Until that happens, this is not just an academic discussion.