'NO' ON STATE PROPOSAL 1

A first look at state Proposal 1 makes the request to make medical
marijuana legal in Michigan, as it is in 12 other states, appear
reasonable and humane.

It has been credited with successfully relieving pain and nausea
associated with cancer, chemotherapy, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma,
HIV/AIDS and a host of other illnesses, often better than
prescription drugs, its proponents say.

And yet, we can't support Proposal 1.

In a community like the Kalamazoo and Portage area, which recently
was struck by a spate of deaths of young people from heroin
overdoses, we can't support anything that might be considered a
gateway drug for teens -- or anyone else.

We already know that among the most-abused drugs by teenagers are
prescription pain-killers purloined from parents or other relatives'
medicine chests. We find it hard to believe that those using
marijuana to relieve medical symptoms would have any more luck
keeping their pot stashes safe from pilfering drug users than users
of prescription drugs do.

And while some physicians have suggested to their patients that they
could use marijuana safely to relieve their symptoms, a large
percentage of physicians oppose the law, saying dosage can't be
regulated and that smoking marijuana will harm patients' lungs.

Opponents argue that if Proposal 1 passes, marijuana dispensaries
will pop up all over the state the way they have in California.

We doubt that will be the case, as the Michigan proposal would
prohibit medicinal pot shops, though legal users could grow their
own, under controlled circumstances.

Still we don't see how the average patient/marijuana-grower could be
expected to guarantee the kind of security that would be necessary.

Young people, instead of buying pot on the street, could raid their
sick grandma's home-grown supply instead.