CONGRESS, NOT COURT, SHOULD RESOLVE MEDICAL MARIJUANA ISSUE

the Current State-By-State System Isn't Very Good. Many of the State
Laws Are Difficult to Carefully Monitor.

Voters in nine states, including Washington and Oregon, believe that
marijuana should be allowed as medicine to relieve chronic pain, eye
problems and other serious illnesses.

Laws have been approved in those states to make it legal for people to
use marijuana for legitimate medical reasons.

But the Bush administration (like the Clinton administration before
it) insists that states don't have the authority to supercede federal
law.

And now it will be up to the U.S. Supreme Court to decide who is right
- - at least from a constitutional standpoint. Although, regardless of
the ruling by the high court, the matter won't be settled.

The debate will continue.

There is strong anecdotal evidence that suggests there are medical
benefits to marijuana. The evidence is so convincing that voters - at
least those in the nine states that have legalized marijuana as
medicine - aren't likely to let the matter drop. It's more likely
those voters, and the rest of America, will demand the drug be
legalized as medicine.

Congress needs to step in, follow the lead of the states, and make
marijuana legal for medical purposes. The current state-by-state
system isn't very good. Many of the state laws are, admittedly,
difficult to carefully monitor. That's one reason federal authorities
are concerned.

We agree marijuana should not be used for recreational purposes and we
understand there are other health problems that can be created by
smoking marijuana.

But if the federal government allowed marijuana to be distributed by
prescription just like codeine, morphine or other medicines, many of
the perceived problems would be solved. This would make it clear that
this is a health issue, not a law enforcement issue.

Then tax dollars used to fight the war on drugs - which is now being
wasted fighting state medical marijuana laws-could be used to combat
the serious illegal drug use that destroys lives.