BLOWING SMOKE AT MARIJUANA OPPONENTS

It is good to read that Colorado's medicinal marijuana law is working as
planned ("Medical marijuana registry attracts applicants," March 21-27).

The apparent success of the program is a far cry from the dire and
hysterical picture painted by the group, Coloradans Against Legalizing
Marijuana and other opponents, including The Denver Post, which campaigned
against Amendment 20 in the 2000 elections.

Readers may also recall that sick and dying Coloradans had to wait two
extra years to get Amendment 20 on the ballot, thanks to the inept
practices of the late Vikki Buckley, who was secretary of state in 1998 and
who presided over the measure's ballot exclusion.

But in the end, Buckley's inexcusable behavior only delayed the inevitable,
and now Colorado patients have legal access to this beneficial herb.

With the Denver Medical Society now saying that doctors' concerns have
faded and they now are comfortable in understanding what they can and
cannot do under the law, it seems that Colorado voters who overwhelmingly
supported this compassionate measure have been proven right.

Colorado's success stands a shining beacon for other states looking into
similar laws, like medical marijuana supporters here in Wisconsin.

Gary Storck Madison, Wis.