Re: "Peace looms in the War on Pot" (Aug 18).

Dr. Eduardo Bruera, in discussing the medicinal uses of marijuana, stated
there are now "better and legal drugs on the market for fighting nausea,"
but also said patients prefer pot for its "relaxing side effects." Although
the trade names of these "better and legal" drugs were not mentioned, I
believe Dr. Bruera may be referring to the drug Marinol, which is a
synthetic version of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.

I am aquainted with several users of medicinal marijuana, and none of them
prefer to expose themselves to criminal prosecution simply because
marijuana "relaxes them." One reason people turn to cannabis is the high
cost of perscription drugs. This is especially true of HIV patients, who
must budget the costs of the drugs used in the "AIDS cocktail." Another
reason is that many people suffering from severe nausea are unable to
swallow pills without immediately regurgitating them. Thus, any reference
to drugs that are superior to cannabis without addressing the drawbacks in
using this conventional (read "legal") therapy is fatuous.

Kelly T. Conlon
Hamilton ON