MEDICAL MARIJUANA FIGHT A WASTE OF TIME

Drug Enforcement Administration agent Daniel Dunlap seems to think he
knows better than doctors when it comes to patient care and medical
marijuana. While there have been studies showing that marijuana can
shrink cancerous tumors, medical marijuana is essentially a palliative
drug. If a doctor recommends marijuana to a cancer patient undergoing
chemotherapy and it helps them feel better, then it's working. In the
end, medical marijuana is a quality-of-life issue best left to
patients and their doctors.

Federal bureaucrats waging war on noncorporate drugs contend that
organic marijuana is not an effective health intervention. The U.S.
Drug Enforcement Administration's prescribed intervention for medical
marijuana patients is handcuffs, jail cells and criminal records. This
heavy-handed approach suggests that drug warriors are not well-suited
to dictate health care decisions.

It's long past time that Congress showed some leadership on the issue
and passed legislation reaffirming the Constitution's 10th Amendment
guarantee of states' rights. States that prefer to cage sick patients
for daring to feel better can continue to do so. Enlightened states
like Montana that have passed compassionate-use legislation should not
be stymied by a federal government that really should have better
things to do.

Robert Sharpe,

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, D.C.