SMOKE THIS, REAGAN

I have to agree with Stan White's assessment of the Reagan years, "Jury Out
on Reagan" (letters, July 1).

Nancy Reagan's simplistic "Just Say No" approach to substance use and abuse
led to an explosion of big government, creating huge drug war exemptions in
our precious constitutional rights.

Worse, the Reagan Administration stifled research into medical marijuana,
thwarting the will of the people and over two-thirds of U.S. states whose
legislatures passed medical marijuana laws in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Ironically, recent research into a synthetic marijuana compound,
Dronabinol, revealed significant reduction in agitation in subjects with
Alzheimer's. In addition, their caregivers reported reductions in their own
stress and depression as the patient became easier to manage.

It is a continuation of the same mentality that stifled research into
medical marijuana that stifles research into stem cells today. The quest
for knowledge should not be blocked for political reasons, because, as the
Reagan situation illustrates, the unintended consequences can easily backfire.

Gary Storck

Madison, Wis.