PHARMAS FEAR POT

I feel deeply for Matthew A. Mernagh and all the members of the Toronto
Compassion Centre who will no longer have access to their medicine (Reefer
Sadness, NOW, August 22-28).

The article brings up a very interesting point: the cost of medical
cannabis versus commercial drugs with similar effects. Pharmaceutical
companies are no doubt fighting against medical cannabis. An effective
painkiller that people can grow themselves is fierce competition for their
products. But I, for one, am more concerned that sufferers of debilitating
diseases can get an effective low-cost medication than I am about
protecting the pocketbooks of drug manufacturers.

ADAM WIGGINS

Pasadena, CA