PAIN RELIEF FOR SICK IS A CASE OF QUALITY OF LIFE, NOT CRIME

RE "THE government's marijuana problem: Federal bureaucracy makes it
hard for states to administer a proven pain-relief medicine" by
Juliette Kayyem (Op-ed, Dec. 12): While there have been studies
showing that marijuana can shrink cancerous tumors, medical marijuana
is essentially a palliative drug. If a doctor recommends marijuana to
a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy, and it helps the patient
feel better, then it's working.

In the end, medical marijuana is a quality-of-life decision that is
best left to patients and their doctors.

Drug warriors waging battle on non-corporate drugs contend that
organic marijuana is not an effective health intervention. Their
prescribed intervention for medical marijuana patients is handcuffs,
jail cells, and criminal records.

This heavy-handed approach suggests that drug warriors should not be
dictating health care decisions.

It's long past time to let doctors decide what is right for their
patients; sick patients should not be jailed for daring to seek
relief from marijuana.

Robert Sharpe

Policy analyst

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Arlington, Va.