MARIJUANA IS MEDICINE

I respectfully disagree with David Henrich's conclusions regarding studies
of teen use of marijuana in California. The National Household Survey on
Drug Abuse didn't break down results by state until 1999, so it does not
show anything about the trend of marijuana use in California before and
after Prop. 215 was passed in 1996.

Also, NHSDA/NSDUH has problems of its own, not the least of which is the
fact that participants must discuss illegal behavior in a face-to-face
interview with a representative of the government who comes to their home.
The California Attorney General's survey is anonymous. Which do you think
is more likely to reflect what teens are actually doing?

More importantly, Mr. Heinrich's claim that "marijuana isn't medicine"
simply isn't supported by the facts. Good medicine is anything that treats
the causes or symptoms of a disease, and whose side effects do not outweigh
its benefits.

By any of the standards we use to evaluate drugs on the market today,
marijuana qualifies as good medicine. Even the federal government, which
delivers tins full of marijuana cigarettes to a handful of sick patients on
a monthly basis, appears to accept the fact that marijuana is medicine, at
least for those individuals.

Yes, there are other drugs on the market that treat some of the same
symptoms as medical marijuana. But, not every drug works for every
individual. Just because one drug works, doesn't mean we pull all the rest
off the market.

Take the time to get the facts. Check out some of the many scientific
studies that substantiate the current use and future promise of medical
marijuana. Then trust decisions about which medical treatment is best to
doctors and their patients, and not to the government, by voting yes on I-148.

Paul Befumo
Medical Marijuana Policy Project of Montana
2120 S. Reserve Street, #235
Missoula