SNEAKY EFFORT TO UNDERMINE U.S. POT LAWS

The May 19 Commentary piece by Jeremiah S. Jeremiah, chief judge of
the Rhode Island Family Court, ("R.I. medical-marijuana bill's
problems") tells it like it is. This was a poor bill, which should
not have been be passed. [It has been vetoed; override vote not yet taken.

As an infectious-disease physician who has cared for patients with
HIV and AIDS for over 15 years, I have often prescribed the active
ingredient in marijuana in the form of a pill called Marinol, which
can be effective in decreasing nausea. Many of the medical benefits
of marijuana are available through currently available prescription use.

Rhode Island's bill appears not to be so much a response to untreated
medical suffering as a cloaked effort to undermine federal laws. The
proposed act states that if a state or local enforcement official
cooperates with federal law-enforcement agents in marijuana
enforcement, they shall "have his or her employment suspended or terminated."

As Judge Jeremiah states, "prudent regulation of marijuana cannot be
viewed as a formality; rather, as a necessity." As a physician, I
feel strongly that this bill in its current form should not be passed!

TIMOTHY FLANIGAN, M.D.

Providence