I read with alarm "Marijuana raids net record number of plants Lungren
reports" (Page 3B, Oct 15). Talk about mixed messages!

Virtually every press release Attorney General Dan Lungren has disseminated
to the media -- when it became obvious he was making a political bid for
governor -- has been carefully orchestrated to give the appearance that he
has now turned the corner and is in favor of medical marijuana.

Understanding that almost 60 percent of Californians voted for Proposition
215 hasn't been lost on the governor-wannabe. His backing of medical
marijuana research (Senate Bill 535, John Vasconcellos, D-Santa Clara) was
a safe political stance to take.

That's a long way from having compassion for the very people who need
medical marijuana now and would not have access if it weren't for medical
cannabis centers that Lungren is clearly against.

By positing that "someone suffering from AIDS with a doctor's note did not
have his two plants ripped out of his home during an operation," Lungren
not only trivializes the issues, but suggests that two plants is the
standard limit to what a patient would normally be allowed to grow for his
or her medical needs. The truth is there are no figures that I am aware of
that quantify how many plants are sufficient to yield enough marijuana for
medical use for a given patient.

The public is looking to the medical community to perform controlled
scientific trials to further determine marijuana's medical value. It is
critical that science -- not political rhetoric or grandstanding -- be the
sole determinant of this important public health issue.

America's seriously ill must no longer be caught in the political cross
fire over medical marijuana.

Dr. Dennis F. Augustine
Medical Director
The Santa Clara County Medical Cannabis Center