SUPPORT MEDICAL MARIJUANA

On June 6, a beautiful and moving thing happened. In 55 cities across the
country, groups of angry citizens put themselves at risk of arrest and
demanded that the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) stop waging
war on medical marijuana. In Washington, D.C., 10 of my friends were
arrested outside the Justice Department, in an act of civil disobedience.
Right here in Rhode Island, three activists held a demonstration outside the
DEA outpost in Warwick, although no arrests were made.

This national day of action was organized in response to the DEA's plans to
close all of the medical-marijuana distribution clubs that operate legally
under state law in nine states. The citizens and public officials of Alaska,
Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington
have spoken: they want medical marijuana to be made available to qualified
patients. The Bush administration, however, has turned a deaf ear to these
states. This is a serious states' rights issue, especially since George W.
Bush, while campaigning in October 1999, said that he supported the right of
states to choose regarding medical marijuana.

Such scientific publications as The New England Journal of Medicine have
published reports on the safety and efficacy of medical marijuana. And 68
percent of Americans polled since 1996 strongly support medical marijuana.
There is no reason for the federal government to be waging war on the sick
and dying, especially when the people of nine states have told the DEA to
cease and desist.

As a result of the DEA's failure to respect the rights of states, and its
disregard for the chronically ill, activists across the country have vowed
to continue holding demonstrations and disrupting business as usual at DEA
outposts. The DEA will be subjected to these actions until the federal
government changes its policies regarding medical marijuana.

THOMAS ANGELL

Warwick