MILLER CALLS FOR DEBATE ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Ocean County's First Assistant Prosecutor, Terrance P. Farley, has
gone too far this time. Last February he insulted my wife regarding
her integrity concerning her activism as a disabled medical marijuana
patient. In a letter to the Observer he said people such as Cheryl
were doing great harm to the public and that her cause was a "hoax."
He said all that while Cheryl was alive. Cheryl died June 7th, but
that hasn't stopped Mr. Farley from speaking ill of her.

The Observer ran a story on the front page of their October 9th
edition entitled "A lonely vigil." The substance of the article was
about Cheryl, my continuation of her work, and Mr. Farley's opposition
to what Cheryl stood for. Now that Cheryl is no longer here to defend
herself our First Assistant Prosecutor has seen fit to go even further
when being asked about her medical marijuana use. After "Dr." Farley
said marinol is available and it has "the medicinal qualities of
marijuana" he said of Cheryl, "these people don't want to take the
medicine-they want to take dope." With that statement it has become
quite clear that Mr. Farley must finally stand up for himself instead
of taking cheap shots at my late wife.

First, he knows that Cheryl did "take the medicine" called marinol,
costing the state $25,000 per year. It wasn't enough to stop her
spasticity or pain while eating marijuana did just that. Second, he
knows that the National Multiple Sclerosis Society does not recommend
or recognize marinol as being useful for people afflicted with MS. To
say that all Cheryl wanted to do was to take dope earned Mr. Farley
the chance to publicly debate me on this issue.

Taking care of Cheryl was my privilege, although it took most all of
my time. From my point of view, her disability caused us to spend much
more time together than most people and it was constantly quite
obvious to Cheryl how much I loved her. For that I will always be
thankful. When Mr. Farley insulted Cheryl in his Feb. letter to the
Observer she was not doing very well. She had just gotten out of Brick
Hospital after an eight day stay and it was becoming clear that our
time together was dwindling. I chose to spend my remaining time with
Cheryl without the anger that confronting Mr. Farley would cause. Now
things have changed. I have time, too much time.

I don't expect our First Assistant Prosecutor who is also head of the
Ocean County Narcotics Strike Force to publicly debate me. He knows
that he can't do that. Look how badly he does when he has time to
prepare statements. He won't voluntarily come to the table to discuss
medical marijuana with me. He will have to be forced to do so by a
public display of my insistence in front of his Hooper Ave. office,
and I will not be alone. I will of course stop by his office to talk
to him first, something he never did while Cheryl was alive.

Cheryl was the light of my life and I miss her more than is
imaginable. I will not let Terrance P. Farley denigrate her memory any
longer. It is time for the Observer to have us both in to discuss this
before their editorial review board, and then publish their opinion.
It is done routinely for political candidates. It can be done for
Cheryl. I suspect that Mr. Farley would demonstrate that he doesn't
have the courage of his convictions and decline such an invitation.

Either way, Cheryl was and still is my hero. I will see that this is
resolved. I owe that to her.

Jim Miller

Silverton