MEDICAL MARIJUANA: DOCTOR'S JOB TO DECIDE TREATMENT

After reading the (May 26) opinion by Montana Senate Majority Leader
Jeff Essmann, I, as a Montana voter was quite taken aback.

I have many problems with his interpretation of the events that have
taken place since Gov. Brian Schweitzer allowed Senate Bill 423 to
become law, and about the law itself. However, the main point I would
like to address is: why is Essmann attacking sick people?

From Essmann: "(W)e may soon see similar claims for other controlled
substances such as methamphetamine, cocaine, and improperly used
prescription drugs. After all ... whose job is it to decide what is
medicine and for whom?"

Essmann, to put it bluntly, that's your doctor's job. It is not the
job of government to decide the limit on doctor/patient relationships,
nor to prohibit your doctor from treating you effectively, even if you
don't agree with it morally. As for the senator's claim that Montana's
law will be similar to other states, there is one major difference:
Montana will not have a nonprofit system; we will have a
non-compensation system.

I did not ever think I would hear a Republican leader defending a
moneyless system. Even left-leaning states like Oregon and Washington
understand that the amount of time and effort put into producing
quality medicine is staggering. In no other industry, including health
care, does government ask its residents to make this sacrifice.

A provider, under the new law, must purchase expensive equipment, in
many cases rent another dwelling, renovate that dwelling to support
the massive power consumption required, as well as the ducting and
equipment, spend up to six months of daily work keeping the product
healthy, harvest the product, and repeat the process. Apparently, that
is something that terminally ill people are capable of, or their loved
ones should do for free.

Brandon Conroy

Dillon