THE POLITICS OF POT DEBATE

I can sympathize with those who use medical marijuana to relieve pain and
possibly contribute, however, limited, to the quality or comfort of their
life. But in leveraging the desire of most to help the sick, there are
those, not necessarily by intent, whose own political agenda benefits from
an alignment to the medical marijuana movement. If the real value of
medical marijuana is cultural rather than medicinal, then time will define
and resolve the argument through medical research. I do have some
difficulty accepting the premise that inhaling smoke into one's lungs is
beneficial.

It also seems that before medical marijuana user were patients, they likely
participated in a little recreational marijuana. It's rather obvious that
medical marijuana is an integral part of a person's life. I expect that
those who have never used the drug would be knocking down the doors of the
local marijuana farmer once they get sick. Clearly, those who promote
medical marijuana are prejudiced by experiential use prior to their
illness. My intent is not to trivialize the circumstance associated with
those who depend so dramatically on the appropriation of medical marijuana,
but I worry about exaggeration that camouflages motives predisposed to
lifestyle self-preservation.

So let the folks smoke their pot if it helps keep the nausea down and the
appetite up, but smoking marijuana should certainly be kept from young
people and those susceptible to "snake oil" salesmen for all the purported
reasons commonly associated with keeping marijuana illegal.

JAMES WOLKE

WATSONVILLE