COMMENDABLE STAND

We owe Gloria Walker sincere thanks for her courage in telling the
truth about marijuana in our culture ("Lay off marijuana," Feb. 27).

Medical studies have documented health benefits derived from the
cannabinoids found in marijuana, beyond the widely known applications
of treating glaucoma and providing relief from pain and nausea for
the dying. MS, asthma, epilepsy, menstrual cramps, migraines,
alcoholism, and depression, to name a few, are all conditions that
respond to the beneficial medicinal effects of marijuana. Marijuana
has been used in gynecological medicine for centuries around the
world. In the early part of the last century, tincture of cannabis
were sold in pharmacies in this country.

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson cultivated the plant for their
personal use, and our Declaration of Independence was written on
Dutch hemp. The first Levi's jeans, most of our early flags, the
canvas of covered wagons of the early West were made from hemp. (If
we think ethanol is a good idea, imagine the possibilities for hemp
cultivation in our state.)

Ending prohibition is crucial if we are to become a reasonable and
compassionate nation. Currently, the "war on drugs" decimates
families, vilifies otherwise responsible and law-abiding citizens,
and denies millions of people access to better health. Fear of even
being associated with the word has kept us from telling the truth and
refuting the tragic effects of continuing prohibition.

It's time we do our homework and discover the truth about marijuana
rather than continuing to believe the drone of propaganda we've
ingested. We must examine the history of this prohibition and demand
that the truth be told.

When we consider the obvious harms of alcohol, the celebrated and
highly profitable substance our community is awash in, can we
honestly claim that pot is "dangerous"?

Lia Anthony

Iowa City resident