LEAVE DECISION TO PATIENT, DOCTOR

Regarding Burt Constable's Jan. 7th column, 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 decision best left to
patients and their doctors.

Drug warriors waging war on noncorporate 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 their patients; sick patients should not be
jailed for daring to seek relief from medical marijuana.

Robert Sharpe

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, D.C.