VOTE ON MARIJUANA ISSUE WAS CORRECT

Rep. Tom Petri voted, along with a 2:1 majority in the House, exactly
as he should have on the medical marijuana issue. His vote reflects
the identical conclusion the U.S. Supreme Court reached on this same
matter earlier this month.

There is simply no need for "medical" marijuana. For those patients
who might benefit from delta-9-THC, the active ingredient in
marijuana, dronabinol (Marinol), is already available by prescription
from any physician.

Dronabinol, synthetic THC, is taken orally, not smoked. It is a
standardized dose from reliable manufacturers and is prescribed and
dispensed in the same manner as other medications. There are only two
conditions for which THC has been proven to be helpful in some
patients--AIDS-related appetite loss and nausea and vomiting
accompanying some cancer chemotherapies. There are ample alternatives
for treatment of glaucoma.

The problem, from my view through many years of following this issue,
is that medical marijuana "clinics" provide easy opportunity for
diversion which is why Federal enforcement personnel still need to be
involved as Rep. Petri's vote allows. Beyond that, the number of
conditions for which marijuana is touted as being effective, ranging
from asthma to seizures, exceeds any drug with which I am familiar.
There simply is no drug that versatile. Finally, there is no other
medication that uses smoking as a delivery system.

What I do support, as does Congress, is legitimate research in
accredited laboratories toward evaluating objectively those conditions
that might benefit from THC or other cannabinoids, and if some are
identified, then developing the usual, non-smoking delivery systems
for such medications in standardized doses. That is the sensible and
thoughtful direction in which we should be proceeding.

Rep. Petri should be commended, not criticized, for his enlightened
vote on this issue.

Darold A. Treffert, M.D.

Fond du Lac