CANDIDATE MCCAIN IS CLUELESS

CHICAGO -- Through all his years in politics, despite the endless
obligation to shake hands, smile for the cameras and coax money out
of contributors, John McCain has somehow avoided becoming a complete
phony -- something that John Edwards and Mitt Romney managed to
achieve within a week of entering politics. Annoy McCain, and you
won't have to wait long to find out.

Even a sickly, soft-spoken woman in a wheelchair gets no pass from
him. The other day, at a meeting with voters in New Hampshire, Linda
Macia mentioned her use of medical marijuana and politely asked his
position on permitting it. Barely were the words out of her mouth
before the Arizona senator spun on his heel, stalked away and heaped
scorn on the idea.

"You may be one of the unique cases in America that only medical
marijuana can relieve pain from," he said, in a skeptical tone.
"Every medical expert I know of, including the AMA, says there are
much more effective and much more, uh, better treatments for pain."
He also ridiculed the notion that police would arrest patients for
using marijuana as medicine.

It's refreshing that McCain is willing to state his position with
such unvarnished candor. It would be even better if he knew what he
was talking about.

Apparently, he missed the news that federal agents recently raided
the home of Leonard French, a paraplegic who had been authorized
under New Mexico law to use cannabis for his condition. French faces
possible federal charges, not to mention that he was deprived of the
medicine recommended by his doctor.

As for medical experts, McCain could easily find plenty who testify
to the therapeutic value of pot. The American Academy of HIV Medicine
says that "when appropriately prescribed and monitored,
marijuana/cannabis can provide immeasurable benefits for the health
and well-being of our patients."

The New England Journal of Medicine has called the federal ban on
medical marijuana "misguided, heavy-handed, and inhumane." A 1999
report by the federal Institute of Medicine concluded, "Scientific
data indicate the potential therapeutic value of cannabinoid drugs
for pain relief, control of nausea and vomiting, and appetite stimulation."

It's true that actual arrests of patients are rare. But that's often
little consolation. Consider the case of Angel Raich, a California
cancer victim whose use of medical marijuana exposed her to the
threat of federal prosecution.

When she challenged the federal law, an appeals court ruled against
her. But the court also had to acknowledge, "Raich's physician
presented uncontroverted evidence that Raich 'cannot be without
cannabis as medicine' because she would quickly suffer 'precipitous
medical deterioration' and 'could very well die.'" Said the court,
"All medical evidence in the record suggests that, if Raich were to
stop using marijuana, the acute chronic pain and wasting disorders
would immediately resume."

But none of that mattered. In the end, the government and the courts
gave Raich a choice: obey federal law or risk jail by using the only
treatment that helped her.

Bush administration officials often insist there are no definitive
studies proving the curative powers of marijuana. What they omit is
that the federal government has done everything in its power to
prevent such research.

That effort has not entirely succeeded, though. Recently, the journal
Neurology published the results of one clinical trial of HIV
patients. It showed that pot "effectively relieved chronic
neuropathic pain from HIV-associated sensory neuropathy," with no
adverse side effects.

The mystery is not why anyone believes cannabis can be safe and
effective therapy. The mystery is why so many politicians,
particularly Republican presidential candidates -- Ron Paul, a
physician, being the heroic exception -- are unwilling to consider
the possibility or to leave the matter up to the states. It's not
even clear their hard-line stance is smart politics in their own party.

Wherever you look, public opinion supports medical marijuana. In
Texas, a 2004 Scripps-Howard poll found that 75 percent of the people
favor allowing it -- including 67 percent of Republicans. Such red
states as Alaska, Colorado, Montana and Nevada are among the 12 that
have legalized medical marijuana.

This is not a dispute between Republican voters and Democratic
voters. It's a dispute between Republican politicians and everyone else.

What McCain ought to say is that he would rather ignore medical
opinion, and inflict needless pain on people whose doctors say they
could be helped by marijuana, than admit the federal ban is a
mistake. Now that would be real candor.

Stephen Chapman is a columnist and editorial writer for the Chicago
Tribune besides being a Creators Syndicated columnist.