MEDICINAL MARIJUANA BILL HAS STATE SUPPORT

The Freeman editorial, "Bill missing death clause" (June 3), raised some
good points regarding provisions of Assembly Bill 67 that would allow
doctors to disregard patients' wishes and refuse to pull the plug on life
support or decline to continue with nutrition and hydration, even if they
have signed a do not resuscitate order.

While ailing Wisconsinites who have lost hope certainly deserve the option
of choosing when to end their lives, the state Legislature could take
another step that might help ease these patients' suffering before it gets
to the point of having to consider pulling the plug, by passing a medical
marijuana bill.

With polls finding that more than 80 percent of Wisconsinites support
legalizing medical marijuana, along with state health associations like the
Wisconsin Nurses Association, Wisconsin Public Health Association and the
AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, Wisconsin legislators must give the
issue of medicinal pot a fair hearing this session.

Gary Storck, Madison Received via e-mai