BARAQUIO SPEAKS TRUTH

Gloria Baraquio is my biggest hero today. When I was growing up in
the '60s, my biggest heroes were astronauts James Lovell and Buzz
Aldrin. When I got a little older, I admired the toughest football
players like Dick Butkus, Ronnie Lott and Jack Lambert. After I got
out of the military, I pursued my dream of playing college football.
First, it was ankle reconstruction that stopped me. I was determined
to come back bigger and stronger. I did -- until my left knee was
annihilated. The top sports surgeon at Stanford Hospital did the best
he could. It still hurts as I sit to write this.

But it wasn't until I was undergoing another surgery at the VA
hospital in Long Beach, when I met the men I hold in highest honor.
During my stay I had the good fortune to meet our combat veterans.

I am older now. I am married. I am devoted father of three children.
Reading Gloria's articles I see great work, and it makes me hopeful
that my children might have the opportunity to learn from such a
courageous and highly qualified teacher. Our children are better able
to make the right choices when we supply them with knowledge and
teach them the truth.

Nowadays, I mainly use my courage to fight the daily pain of
degenerative osteoarthritis as I push to support my family. Another
hero is my doctor who had the courage to recommend cannabis for my
chronic pain; because of highly educated men like him, I don't have
to fear for heart valve problems or other serious side effects caused
by prescription drugs like Vioxx. And I also applaud the state
Department of Public Safety's Narcotics Enforcement Division, which
had the courage to grant me a certificate to use the medicine.

I applaud Gloria for her courageous, intelligent articles on cannabis
prohibition in the U.S. She addressed the issue openly, and she
should be applauded for the work necessary to create some of the most
accurate, educational and thought-provoking articles I have ever read
on the subject.

Adrien Diven

Hilo