SUPPORT PROPOSAL FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Editor:

I urge all Texans to support HB 658, a medical marijuana bill by Democratic
Rep. Elliott Naishtat and joint authored by Republican Chairman Terry Keel.
This bill will protect doctors from being investigated solely on the
grounds that they discussed marijuana as a treatment option with their
patients.

This bill would also enable Texas jurors to hear evidence and determine
whether or not the individual has a valid medical defense. Currently Texas
law does not allow jurors to grant an affirmative defense related to the
medical use of marijuana. Polls locally and nationally show that our
citizens support legalizing marijuana for medical use.

For thousands of years mankind has used medical marijuana to treat illness.
Doctors and healers used medical marijuana to treat their patients with
this safe and effective drug. When medical marijuana was made illegal,
doctors weren't even invited to give their advice on its uses.

How can we allow doctors to give their patients morphine, but not the
nontoxic drug marijuana? Marijuana helps relieve the pain and symptoms of
diseases from cancer to AIDS and hundreds of other illnesses.

Shall we continue to prosecute doctors and patients for seeking a drug that
will relieve their suffering?

Other states have legalized medical marijuana. Isn't it time we showed that
Texas is advanced enough to do the same?

We urge all Texans to contact their state representatives to support this
bill. You can contact Texans for Medical Marijuana at 512-220-9202 or
www.TexansforMedicalMarijuana.org

Julian Ward

Austin