MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAW WOULD SEND THE WRONG MESSAGE

I am writing to urge our community members to contact their
legislators and ask for their assistance to defeat the Medical Use of
Marijuana Bill that is being considered in the Legislature.

Marijuana is a Schedule I substance of the federal Controlled
Substance Act. The possession, sale or manufacture of marijuana is a
federal crime. Marijuana has been considered a gateway drug to other,
more dreadful drugs.

Consequently, current federal law does not agree with the proposed
medical marijuana law under consideration by the Minnesota
Legislature. The conflict will subject Minnesota residents as well as
law enforcement officials to conflicting and confusing laws, rules,
roles and positions. Placing our citizens and law enforcement
officers in this position is simply poor public policy.

I could list several additional reasons why I and my fellow police
chiefs in Minnesota do not support this bill from a law enforcement
perspective, but most telling is content from an April 2006 news
release from the FDA:

"A growing number of states have passed voter referendum or
legislative actions making smoked marijuana available for a variety
of medical conditions upon a doctor's recommendation. These measures
are inconsistent with efforts to ensure that medications undergo the
rigorous scientific scrutiny of the FDA approval process and are
proven safe and effective under the standards of the Food, Drug
&Cosmetic Act. Accordingly, the FDA as the federal agency responsible
for reviewing the safety and efficacy of drugs, the Drug Enforcement
Administration as the federal agency charged with enforcing the CSA
and the Office of National Drug Control Policy as the federal
coordinator of drug control policy do not support the use of smoked
marijuana for medical purposes."

Legalizing Marijuana for Medical Purposes will lead to increased use
of marijuana by other persons, increased crime and the perception
that marijuana is harmless.

Jeffrey L. McCormick

Chief of police

Chatfield