WRONG MESSAGE

It is a sad beginning for Montana.

Now that "medicinal" marijuana is about to be legal, legitimate
terminal patients and those with mysterious aches and pains will seek
out doctors that are willing to write prescriptions for them.

As a professional who for more than 12 years fought drug dealers and
locked up users in the hopes that they would quit cold turkey, I am
very disheartened to see this state legalize them.

I can sympathize with terminally ill people who want marijuana to ease
their pain even though marinol is already on the market. I have seen
legal drugs prescribed and then abused. I have seen people with
"medicinal" marijuana claiming they have injuries but are returning
from hiking trips as if there was nothing wrong with them.

I have seen doctors who issue prescriptions for cash or hard drugs,
and this will likely be done here.

Legalizing marijuana simply opened up Pandora's box for us in this
state. At a time when we are near the top for per capita drunk driving
accidents and methamphetamine production, the wrong message has been
sent.

Larry Allen, Shelby