[Mark Davis is a radio talk-show host on WBAP Newstalk 820 AM. His program
is heard from 9 a.m. to noon weekdays and is nationally syndicated on ABC
radio Sundays from noon to 3 p.m. His e-mail address is mdavis@wbap.com.
Write him at 3201 Airport Freeway, Suite 108, Bedford, TX 76021.]

FROM MEDICAL MARIJUANA TO CORPORATE MONIKERS

With spring merely hours old, it's time to clean out the topical notebook:

Medical pot: A study that was reported last week strengthened the evidence
that marijuana may have valid benefits for some illnesses. What a shame that
the debate about medical uses of the drug is hijacked by single-mindedness
on both sides.

In one corner are people convinced that any valid medical use of pot will
open the door to vast abuses and general legalization. In the other corner
are the wacky see-no-evil drug libertarians who wrap their legalization
effort in the noble cloth of caring for the sick.

Here's the deal: Legalizing pot is a terrible idea. Our society needs more
legal intoxicants like we need a hole in the head. But for some maladies,
the active ingredient in marijuana (THC) may generate appetite and provide
relief from pain.

To those ends, I want more research into whether those benefits can be
realized from pill or inhaler delivery of THC. If so, no one should stand in
the way.

On the Austin beat: Two very good ideas are working their way through the
Legislature: parental notification for abortions for minors and a lowering
of the blood alcohol limit defining drunken driving.

Even pro-choicers frequently agree that if a 10th-grader is about to get an
abortion, the parents should know about it. Concerns about abusive
consequences in dysfunctional homes are allayed by the judicial bypass, in
which girls can get a court order to pursue the procedure if they can
establish themselves as mature decision-makers with a justifiable reason to
keep their plans secret.

And as for a blood alcohol level of 0.08, that number cannot go too low for me.

The American way: Fast forward to 2002. The Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat
are squaring off in an NBA contest. The game is played in an arena bearing
the name of American Airlines.

Quick. In what city are they playing?

Tough call, since by then both cities will have arenas named for the
airline. Miami's American Airlines Arena opens next year, and presumably the
new Dallas arena opens in 2001. When it does, it will be called the American
Airlines Center.

A trend is born. Plenty of cities need new arenas, and there are a few nouns
left. Look for groundbreaking soon on American Airlines Fieldhouse, American
Airlines Coliseum and the American Airlines Dome.

In all seriousness, the new arena name is perfect. American is one of the
great economic forces in Metroplex history, and the naming rights bring
millions of private-sector dollars into the arena project.

It also serves as a reminder that plenty of private-sector dollars always
existed to fund the entire project.

Learning from the masters: It was instructive to hear the interviews last
week with the Rev. Henry Lyons, head of the National Baptist Convention,
guilty of five counts of fraud and tax evasion.

He was convicted of stealing money earmarked for rebuilding burned black
churches and had the nerve to cry racism when the charges were leveled
against him. I can think of fewer things that are more contemptible.

But here's one that comes close: wrapping horrific wrongdoing in the
excuse-laden language of "mistakes" and "errors in judgment." This is
precisely what Lyons is doing on a repentance tour as phony as President
Clinton's. Like former District of Columbia Mayor Marion Barry before him,
the disgraced clergyman abused the loyalty of his supporters when he knew
full well he was guilty.

And like both Barry and Clinton, Lyons seeks to exploit such blind loyalty
to avoid real accountability.

Obscure treasures: I'll be watching the Oscar show tonight just as I do
every year, but I can't remember when I've cared less. Everybody touts
Saving Private Ryan as the likely big winner, and it was a great movie. But
beyond that, what do we have?

Best Actor nominees include Nick Nolte for Affliction, Ian McKellen for Gods
and Monsters and Edward Norton for American History X.

Best Actress? Among the contestants are Fernanda Montenegro in Central
Station, Meryl Streep in One True Thing and Emily Watson in Hilary and Jackie.

Great work by all, I'm sure. But these movies were seen by a total of about
200 people! What's going on here?

Box office receipts do not equal quality. These are all good movies, and a
lot of the top grossers this year have been awful. I suppose my point is
that it has become too rare for genuinely superb films to draw huge audiences.

Mark Davis is a radio talk-show host on WBAP Newsalk 820 AM. His program is
heard from 9 a.m. to noon weekdays and is nationally syndicated on ABC radio
Sundays from noon to 3 p.m. His e-mail address is mdavis@wbap.com. Write him
at 3201 Airport Freeway, Suite 108, Bedford, TX 76021.