POT AS MEDICINE

State Should Allow Its Use for Very Sick People

Eleven states allow marijuana to be used for medicinal purposes. New
Jersey should become the 12th. There will be a Senate committee
hearing in June on legislation to legalize marijuana for those with
debilitating medical conditions.

The idea is a good one.

There is admittedly debate about how effective marijuana is as a
medicine. The American Medical Association rejects its use, but the
National Academy of Sciences has found that marijuana can help
patients deal with chemotherapy and AIDS. Those afflicted with cancer
and AIDS deserve as much sympathy and understanding as possible. If
marijuana is able to help people cope with deadly diseases, it should
definitely be tried. Morphine and opium already are used to control
pain.

Opposition comes from those who don't seem to understand the
difference between a sick patient getting some relief and a teenager
shooting heroin.

"This is how they're trying to get marijuana legalized," complains
Terrence P. Farley, the director of the Ocean County anti-narcotics
task force. We don't know what "they" Farley is thinking of. The only
"they" involved here is not a Colombian drug cartel, but sick people
seeking a little bit of comfort. The opponents should explain why they
want to prevent a person on chemotherapy the relief that marijuana may
bring.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that marijuana use for medicinal
purposes is illegal, meaning that its use can be prosecuted
notwithstanding state law. Despite that, New Jersey should still allow
the medical use of marijuana. That would make a statement in favor of
vulnerable patients. It is also debatable how vigorously the federal
law is enforced.