POT HELPS ASTHMATICS

Editor,

Your otherwise sensible editorial ("Blowing smoke at the White House,"
on Thursday) was incorrect in making fun of "pot for ... asthma?"

Use of marijuana as a treatment for asthma attacks has been recorded
in medical literature for thousands of years. In recent decades, lab
studies and case reports have verified that cannabinoids (marijuana's
active components) reduce asthmatic symptoms.

Researcher Mitch Earleywine, Ph.D., of The State University of New
York, reviewed the evidence in his 2002 book, "Understanding
Marijuana." His summary: "Cannabinoids may make a nice addition to
current asthma treatments."

Bruce Mirken, director of communications, Marijuana Policy Project,
Washington, D.C.