MEDICAL MARIJUANA

It's ironic that Dr. Andrea Barthwell, deputy director for the White
House Office of National Drug Control Policy, willfully misconstrues
the facts regarding the medicinal use of marijuana \["More Tests
Needed on Medical Marijuana Use," Viewpoints, July 28\] mere weeks
after Delegates of the American Nurses Association resolved to
"support the right of patients to have safe access to therapeutic
marijuana." Whom do you believe? A paid spokeswoman for the drug
czar's office, or the RNs who have dedicated their lives to attending
the needs of the sick and dying?

The nurses' support for the use of marijuana as a medicine is not
based on "misinformation," but rather on scores of scientific studies
and patient testimonies demonstrating the therapeutic value of
cannabis. But, if Barthwell and the Bush administration have their
way, these patients will not only be denied legal access to the one
medicine that alleviates their suffering but they will also face
arrest and imprisonment.

In addition, the Bush administration is now appealing to the Supreme
Court to allow the Justice Department to punish doctors who so much as
speak to their patients about the medical use of marijuana - a
position so extreme that it runs contrary to both the American Medical
Association and the American Society of Addiction Medicine, the latter
of which Barthwell formerly served as president.

PAUL ARMENTANO

Washington, D.C.