KAMPIA PRESENTS REFRESHING OUTLOOK

Thank you for printing Rob Kampia's commentary, "Snatching victory
from the jaws of defeat" (July 10). His is a refreshing outlook
compared to the unrelenting and ardent prohibitionist policies of the
Bush administration and the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

President Bush and the ONDCP insist marijuana is no more useful than
heroin as medicine, despite the testimonies of several thousand
doctors and several hundred thousand patients in the 11 states that
permit patients' legal access to their medicine. This does nothing but
turn otherwise law-abiding medical patients into criminals.

Patients and doctors have been trying to get Washington to listen.
Their cries are falling on deaf ears clogged by ardent drug-warrior
propaganda.

The federal government told the Supreme Court in Ashcroft v. Raich
that their prevailing interest in maintaining criminal prohibition of
medical marijuana is their desire to regulate interstate commerce.

Yet, after the ruling, there is absolutely no federal regulation
taking place. Medical marijuana will remain a multimillion-dollar
industry. The distributors and consumers will remain secret and for
the most part unknown to federal agents. How is it possible to
regulate an industry that is conducted almost completely in secret and
behind closed doors?

STEPHEN HEATH

Public Relations Director

Drug Policy Forum of Florida

Clearwater