MEDICINAL MARIJUANA

The article on medical use of cannabis ("Dope test", June 7) has shown me a
side of cannabis I had not thought of.

Since adolescence, I have been presented with an image of the "evil weed",
which fries the brain, reduces my chromosome number and (supposedly) is
used to "lure white women into bed with black jazz singers" (who must be
very busy in New Zealand, given the ratio of white women to black jazz
singers!).

I am astounded that an effective medicine is being withheld from people
when their alternative may be highly addictive drugs such as morphine,
which are legal on prescription but not for recreational purposes. Is this
because no influential companies have yet found a way to make money out of
cannabis? Or is it that too many influential people will lose money if a
readily grown herb is allowed to be used for a medicine?

And I can find no moral justification for United Future opposing medical
cannabis when they supported the lowering of the drinking age.

But mostly I blame Annette King and other Ministers of Health who have
absconded from their moral duty by delegating responsibility for this
decision to the manager of Medsafe - who is not accountable to the public,
nor interested in public opinion. Shame, minister! What were you elected
for, if not to make the hard decisions?

Joanne Murphy

(Auckland)