DENYING RELIEF IS MORAL?

A while ago, I had the misfortune to hear the shrill chest thumping
of San Diego County Supervisor Bill Horn as he was announcing the
county would sue to overturn the state's Compassionate Use Act
allowing the medical use of marijuana.

His rantings reminded me of those heartless bastards who gave kids
prison sentences in the '60s for small amounts of weed.

Our own county Supervisor Jeff Stone has talked about doing the same
thing. Although Stone said he wanted clarification about how to deal
with the conflicts between federal and state law, first and foremost,
Stone is a pharmacist.

I spoke to him about it, and my impression is that he's simply
against the use of marijuana for any purpose. He stated that the
stuff out today has some 40 times the tetrahydrocannabinol (active
ingredient commonly known as THC) as what was smoked in the '60s, and
while it may not be as dangerous as meth or heroin, it's certainly
not harmless.

Stone doesn't like amateurs dispensing drugs. He does not lack
compassion; his pharmacy specializes in pain-killing "cocktails,"
which I would assume are morphine-based ---- much stronger than
marijuana. But then again, his drugs are precisely measured and
administered, there's no variation between doses.

He brought up Marinol, the THC-derived drug that is used to allay
nausea involved in chemotherapy. He admitted that it is expensive
- $38 a pill taken twice a day ---- so if someone doesn't have
insurance, they're out of luck. I also mentioned that a friend told
me that the drug just keeps the vomiting in check, it doesn't stop the nausea.

He mentioned the risk of people getting marijuana fraudulently, but
then again, there are a lot of folks who obtain prescription drugs
the same way. Stone admitted in terms of chronic pain, or
particularly end of life, that marijuana's side effects or health
threats are obviously no longer relevant ---- he simply believes that
there are better approaches to pain and suffering than marijuana.

Temecula has followed his lead and placed a moratorium on
dispensaries, but then again, after all, this is Pleasantville.

While Lake Elsinore has permitted marijuana co-ops, Police Chief
Louis Fetherolf wants no dispensaries in town. He spoke of a "bevy of
public safety issues," which sounded much like the issues surrounding
beer sales at a convenience store ---- people buying it illegally,
people using on premises and theft. Surely the Lake Elsinore PD is up
to the task?

The cooperatives sound good but don't serve people who are too ill to
grow it or who don't know where to meet other users or find seeds.

He doesn't want to enforce a state law and ignore a federal law. I'm
sure that's confusing, but I wonder ---- illegal immigration is a
violation of federal law; when Lake Elsinore police pull over illegal
aliens do they apprehend them and turn them over to the Border Patrol?

The ordinance proposed by Fetherolf included the language to "promote
the health, safety, morals, and general welfare of the residents and
businesses of the city."

How moral is it to deny relief to those suffering from multiple
sclerosis, nausea and pain related to terminal or chronic illness?