MEDICAL MARIJUANA ISN'T USED FOR FUN

Jeffrey A. Schaler's column on medical marijuana, while valid in most
respects, misses the mark in several ways ("Decision to smoke pot shouldn't
involve doctor," Opinion Commentary, May 12).

Medical marijuana advocates are not recreational users who ignore
traditional treatments while seeking to deceive the public and the medical
community into providing their drug of choice.

As the husband of someone who has depended on cannabis as medicine, I can
state unequivocally that it is superior to many alternatives for a number
of reasons. Unfortunately, both federal and state law make its use
prohibitively difficult.

As Mr. Schaler suggests, nationwide repeal of marijuana prohibition would
be the obvious solution. But as this is not going to happen overnight, the
current legislation is the best we can now achieve.

We do not prefer the intercession of the medical community, but it is at
least preferable to the status quo.

Bill Hildebrandt

Smithsburg