MARIJUANA RELIEF

While there have been studies showing that marijuana can shrink
cancerous tumors, medical marijuana essentially is a palliative drug.
If a doctor recommends marijuana to a cancer patient undergoing
chemotherapy and it helps him or her 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 marijuana.

Robert Sharpe

Policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, D.C