EXPANDING MINDS

Thank you so much for Philip Dawdy's well-researched and well-written
article ["Club Pot Med," Aug. 16]. Hopefully, the straightforward
quotes from Douglas Hiatt and Dawdy's presentation of some positive
response toward medical marijuana from the medical community will open
some minds and get people thinking about who is impacted by the busts:
people who are very ill. Then perhaps they'll ask themselves how
society is benefiting by arresting and incarcerating sick people--many
or most on their deathbed. What is the point?

Should Dawdy ever feel inspired and have the time to look into what
incentives the feds offer physicians to push pharmaceuticals and kill
medical marijuana recommendations, it could make one helluva story! My
mom died of lung cancer, and even though she chose not to treat it,
she still lost interest in eating and drinking. I was her caregiver
and begged her doctor to recommend marijuana to my mom, as she would
not consume it unless her doctor made it legal. Her doctor, a woman in
her early 40s--so not from my mom's Reefer Madness-brainwashed
generation--replied, "I don't believe in it. It's not medicine."

How can a seemingly intelligent young doctor be biased this way? Why
would she say this? And why is it that Seattle's medical community "on
Pill Hill" had no comment? I believe it's federal incentives--just as
they have incentivized Hollywood to produce TV shows and movies that
are down on "drugs" (erroneously including marijuana, which is a
God-given plant) and use pro-drug war propaganda/lingo. It would be
grand to see such an expose in print!

Thanks for drawing attention to this issue!

Beth Rice

Staff Member, Seattle Hempfest