DEATHLY ILL DON'T CARE ABOUT EXPERTS' VIEWS

Re: Health Canada in marijuana business, July 10.

Let me get this straight: The people who now have licence to use
marijuana are, for the most part, deathly ill or suffering from
incurable wasting diseases. They have found that marijuana alleviates
their symptoms. Researchers have testified that marijuana is, at
worst, not particularly harmful and certainly not as harmful as many
of the medicines currently being foisted on our gullible population.

Yet federal Health Minister Anne McLellan suggests these patients may
be allowed to suffer again if her experts subsequently challenge the
efficacy of marijuana.

It is immaterial whether marijuana is efficacious in treating this or
that disease. It is sufficient that we know it is not terribly harmful
and that some people seem to benefit from its use, thus making their
remaining days a little more tolerable.

Do we really need scientific proof to establish whether people who say
they feel better really do feel better? And even if marijuana was
somewhat harmful, does it really matter if it makes these individuals'
remaining days a little more bearable?

It is curious that those politicians who are particularly upset about
Canada becoming a nanny state are the same who support nanny statism
when it comes to the prohibition of marijuana.

Ms. McLellan would do well to disregard her personal prejudices and
let our suffering fellow Canadians look to their own relief from pain
and misery.

Paul Zollmann,

Almonte