NOTHING BUT MEDICINE

Regarding your Aug. 2 article, "Pot debate still going," the position
of the medical marijuana advocacy organization Americans for Safe
Access was misconstrued.

While taxing the sale of medical marijuana has brought some amount of
legitimacy to the sale of this important medicine and has provided a
new revenue for the cash-strapped California budget, it is entirely
distinct from initiatives to legalize or decriminalize marijuana for
non-medical use.

Indeed, such initiatives may have the effect of benefiting all
taxpaying Californians by complementing the state budget with a new
tax revenue source, but Americans for Safe Access in no way supports
the legalization or decriminalization of marijuana for any other use
than medical.

If proponents feel that the time is right to put tax and regulation
schemes before the voters of California, so be it. However, it is
unclear whether medical marijuana patients would benefit or be
adversely affected by those schemes.

Without concrete evidence of benefits to the medical marijuana
community, patients and advocates will continue to draw a line in the
sand between medical use and full legalization even with the arguable
financial benefits for the state.

Kris Hermes

Media specialist, Americans for Safe Access