FACTS SHOW MARIJUANA BENEFITS OUTWEIGH COSTS

While it is obvious problems exist with Montana's medical cannabis
law, these issues do not indicate that our model of compassionate
access is itself a failure.

The use of cannabis, be it for recreational or medicinal reasons, has
been relocated to the back alleys and shadows of our society for more
than 80 years. This past prohibition creates an array of issues - most
tragic being the association of our ill with society's criminal
element. Unfortunately, when any economy evolves from a complete
prohibition to an open market model there will be an awkward phase of
assimilation.

Individuals who were once drug dealers prior to the implementation of
the Montana Medical Marijuana Act will, and do, seek the shelter of
Montana's compassionate access law - thankfully, the mechanisms to
deal with these potential abuses are already in place. Capitalism and
free-market economics, long-cherished American traditions, "weed" out
those who attempt to exploit Montana's ill, while criminal activity is
easily addressed through our existing law enforcement
infrastructure.

We hear concerns voiced about the number of people with medical
cannabis cards in Montana, yet the reality remains that currently 2
percent of our population is licensed to possess and consume cannabis.
We hear about the 18-year-old with the bad back, and are told that the
"circus-like atmosphere" of traveling clinics, with the inherent ease
of access they afford, is reason enough to scrap the MMMA. If someone
has lied to get his medical marijuana card, or if standards are
violated, then these issues should be addressed in the same manner as
patients fraudulently obtaining narcotics, or doctors wantonly
prescribing these drugs for profit.

We hear of a proliferation of marijuana in Montana's high schools, and
the imminent risk this poses to our youth. However, it's important to
remember we are discussing the medical applications of cannabis, not
recreational use among teenagers. Teenagers do experiment - some abuse
prescription medication, some drink alcohol, and it may be a shock,
but teenagers were actually smoking pot before Montana had a medical
marijuana program. It is then the responsibility of educators to
explain the potential liabilities of recreational use, and law
enforcement's obligation to work with medical cannabis providers to
prevent diversion and misapplication.

Our society wouldn't consider telling the woman dying from stage four
carcinoma, in incredible pain, that she could not have her
conventional analgesic medication because it may wind up in the hands
of a teen. We don't do that because in Montana we are compassionate,
rational people.

So why do we experience this hysteria and controversy? The answer is
simple; throughout our lives, we have been taught that marijuana has
no benefit whatsoever, yet through compassionate access many Montanans
have found this sentiment patently untrue.

The state of California itself funds the University of California's
Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research, releasing several studies
demonstrating smoked cannabis is effective as a general analgesic,
reduces muscle spasticity in those suffering from multiple sclerosis,
and specifically addresses acute neuropathy in association with HIV
infection. The results of completed studies are published on the
center's website, www.cmcr.ucsd.edu. The active projects are outlined
there as well.

Further illustration comes from the University of Milan, which found
that CBD, only one of the chemical components of cannabis, "produce[s]
a significant anti-tumor activity both in vitro and in vivo, thus
suggesting a possible application of CBD as an antineoplastic agent."
(Nov. 2003, Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Fast
Forward). A quick internet search of marijuana's effect on tumor
reduction alone generates several credible, international studies -
the evidence is here and, unlike our detractors, you don't have to
take my word alone.

Medical cannabis will continue to be a "hot topic" in Montana; as
such, I encourage all citizens to educate themselves regarding the
realities of cannabis prohibition, and the actual quantifiable
benefits of its many medical applications. Look into the facts
yourselves - it was the American Medical Association that strenuously
opposed the prohibition of cannabis in the first place, finding no
credible evidence that this plant is actually dangerous. Montanans are
savvy people - we can do the research, we can read the facts and
through hard work and compromise we will find solutions that suit all
citizens.

Rick Rosio of Missoula is president of Montana Pain Management, a
division of Cannabis Science INC.