POT OFFERS RELIEF

This letter is in response to the Herald and News editorial by Tim
Fought and Pat Bushey on Measure 33.

The Oregon Medical Marijuana system allows pot as a pain reliever, and
it works. My husband suffers from bone marrow cancer, post-traumatic
stress disorder and constant pain. He is a cardholder.

The editorial questions whether pot provides pain relief not already
available in other forms. There are other forms: methadone, Vicodin,
Lortab, morphine - the list goes on. They are all mind-altering
addictive narcotics, expensive and not always covered by insurance.
Pot relieves pain quicker, and without as many side effects.

The law now forbids sale even to patients. Measure 33 would provide an
avenue for patients to obtain their "marijuana prescription" from
legal, controlled, fair-priced dispensaries.

These dispensaries are not without cost. It would be a $1,000 yearly
fee to the state of Oregon to provide 25 patients their prescription
and at state-set prices of which 20 percent goes to the state.

Please remember that 3 ounces of pot does not last the patient for a
full year. Some patients ingest their pot to get the body relief, and
that takes a lot more.

A yes vote on Measure 33 will put pot in the hands of those patients
need it without forcing them to buy it illegally from the
on-the-street drug dealers. It will also have a regulated price so the
drug dealers on the street aren't getting fat pockets, and the state
gets its fair share.

Mary Dahl

Sprague River