MEDICAL MARIJUANA IS USEFUL

What was left unclear in the article on medical marijuana ("Medical
marijuana future is up in the air," Feb. 17) is how broad and deep
the scientific consensus that marijuana can be medically useful now
is. Among others, the American College of Physicians, the American
Nurses Association and the American Public Health Association have
all called on the federal government to rethink its ban on the
medical use of marijuana.

Hapless opponents like Steve Steiner are left with lame arguments
like, "It's the law." So was slavery. Sometimes bad laws need to be changed.

Grasping at straws, Steiner mentions a supposed link to testicular
cancer, failing to mention that the researchers themselves said the
study was far from conclusive and that a mass of data shows that
marijuana's active components, called cannabinoids, are rather potent
anti-cancer drugs.

Recent studies published in the peer-reviewed medical literature have
shown marijuana to be a safe, effective treatment for conditions such
as neuropathic pain, for which standard medicines often fail to
provide relief. That's why Israel, Germany, Canada and the
Netherlands all have government-sanctioned medical marijuana
programs. It's time for U.S. policy to catch up with science and join
the 21st century.

Bruce Mirken

Director of Communications

Marijuana Policy Project