PM MISSING POINT ON CANNABIS

PRIME Minister John Howard has said he might support the use of cannabis
for pain relief if it is in tablet form. Mr Howard is missing the point,
because one of the great advantages of cannabis over other forms of
medication is that, by inhaling the drug, the user gets a much faster
reaction to it.

Cannabis can also be used to relieve the nausea associated with
chemotherapy and some medication used to control the HIV condition.

If a person is nauseous or actually vomiting, the last thing they would
want to do is swallow medication. It could well come up before it has had
a chance to work.

I have also been told that, by smoking cannabis, the user can take just
enough to control their condition then stop. They do not have to get
"high", but if they sustain a feeling of well being and happiness for a
short time, who is going to begrudge them that?

I am not advocating an across-the-board legalisation, just a commonsense,
prescription-based use of the drug for all those who have need of it.

P. BAKER, Binningup