MEDICAL MARIJUANA SHOULD BE A HEALTH CARE OPTION

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. Drug warriors waging war on non-corporate
drugs contend that organic marijuana is not an effective health
intervention. Their prescribed intervention for medical marijuana
patients is handcuffs, jail cells and criminal records.

This heavy-handed approach suggests that drug warriors should not be
dictating health care decisions. It's long past time to let doctors
decide what is right for patients; sick patients should not be jailed
for daring to seek relief from medical marijuana.

Robert Sharpe

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Arlington, Va.