MEDICAL MARIJUANA SHOULD PROVOKE SERIOUS DEBATE

DENVER - I've spent this last week in Denver training students at a
journalism convention and helping to edit some compelling stories.

Among them is a story about dispensaries, which sell marijuana in
gourmet form, such as, in lasagna and baked goods.

The student who reported on the story told me when she entered the
store, the aroma of marijuana intoxicated her.

Marijuana used for medicinal purposes has been legal in the state of
Colorado since 2000 when 54 percent of voters supported a referendum
in favor of it. Users must pay $90 for an identification card; they
may possess 2 ounces and six plants.

Colorado is among 14 states that have legalized "medical marijuana."
This fall California will vote whether to allow marijuana for
recreational use and collect state taxes on sales.

The inspiration for today's editorial came from a conversation earlier
this month with Deborah Comella, executive director of the Lee County
Coalition for a Drug-Free Southwest Florida.

She had alerted me that Florida's drug czar Bruce Grant was coming to
Fort Myers to speak about addiction.

Talk turned to the issue of medical marijuana because of efforts to
try to legalize it in the state of Florida. Comella agreed to write an
op-ed about the dangers of doing so.

Kim Hawk, chairman of the Libertarian Party of Lee County, agreed to
write in favor of decriminalizing pot, as a matter of getting the
government out of individuals' decisions.

Editorial board members saw numerous gray areas.

If marijuana can help alleviate sick people's suffering, shouldn't it
be legal?

Then, again, what are the unintended consequences to our youth and our
society, and how do we prevent abuse?

In the end, we opted to support gathering more research and evidence
before wholly embracing or dismissing medical marijuana.

The Drug Enforcement Administration has registered seven studies on
the matter. "At this time, however, neither the medical community nor
the scientific community has found sufficient data to conclude that
smoked marijuana is the best approach to dealing with these important
medical issues," according to its website.

It seems, however, to be a conflict of interest for an agency funded
to and charged with enforcing our drug laws to lead efforts that could
ultimately result in a good case for decriminalizing marijuana.

That's why more independent evidence is needed.

Medical marijuana should provoke serious policy debate