TIME RUNNING OUT FOR EHRLICH TO SIGN MEDICAL MARIJUANA

The deadline is fast approaching, and Gov. Robert Ehrlich must decide
whether to sign Maryland's medical marijuana bill into law. To my
amazement, he is facing pressure from some special interest groups to veto
this measure.

The Darrell Putman Compassionate Use Act is a modest first step toward
protecting our most weak and vulnerable citizens. As a patient who has both
used and suffered without medical marijuana, I know that it is both safe
and effective. Crohn's disease had left me completely disabled until I
discovered the benefits of using marijuana to treat my condition. After
exhausting the drugs my doctors could give me, and even enduring useless
surgical treatments, marijuana gave me back my life.

The bill now before Gov. Ehrlich does not legalize marijuana for anyone. In
fact, medical marijuana patients will still face arrest if they are caught.
What this bill does do is bring back honesty to our courts by allowing a
defendant to tell the whole truth. Isn't this something we should have been
doing all along? In addition, it will allow our judges the flexibility to
avoid sending a young mother like myself to prison for nothing more than
choosing to use an herbal remedy. With an already stretched state budget, I
would argue our tax dollars could be far better spent.

Please contact Gov. Ehrlich today and ask him to sign the medical marijuana
bill.

ERIN HILDEBRANDT

Sharpsburg