Myopic About Marijuana

The Sept. 28 news story "Taking a Leaf From Marijuana's Effect" reports on
new scientific evidence that the active ingredients in marijuana "kill pain
without producing the side effects of morphine." Unfortunately, patients
who are currently smoking marijuana to treat their pain can be arrested and
sent to prison.

Now that science has again indicated that patients who smoke marijuana are
indeed getting a therapeutic effect, it is time to stop treating them like
criminals.

Seriously ill people in the District face a six-month jail sentence for
smoking marijuana. Fortunately, D.C. voters will have the opportunity to
change these inhumane laws on Nov. 3 by voting "yes" on Initiative 59. It's
time to stop punishing patients for taking their doctors' advice.

Marc Brandl