GIVE LAW A CHANCE

American Civil Liberties Union members in Santa Fe County are dying to
learn from County Commissioner Harry Montoya why stemming intolerable
pain in people who suffer from cancer, spinal cord injuries and other
maladies is "socially, morally, ethically and physically ... not a
good policy," as he recently declared in The New Mexican (Aug. 30,
"Montoya takes on new pot law").

Relieving suffering is the point of New Mexico's Compassionate Use
Medical Marijuana Act, yet Commissioner Montoya insists on confusing
this laudable purpose with Reagan-era pronouncements about the moral
perils of inhaling marijuana smoke.

It's time we evolved beyond these facile reactions and do right by
people who can't find healthy relief in conventional drugs.

The Compassionate Use Act grants that relief and in a highly regulated
way. It's a smart, benevolent law that deserves a chance to succeed.

Steve Marvin

Steve Marvin is president of the ACLU-NM in Santa Fe