TAKE THE NEXT STEP

Editor:

The California Supreme Court has unanimously confirmed that Proposition 215
really does what voters wanted it to do: Protect seriously ill medical
marijuana users from arrest. Because the vast majority of marijuana arrests
and prosecutions are carried out under state law, this represents a huge
victory for patients.

The next step in protecting Californians who need medical marijuana to help
them battle AIDS, cancer, and other terrible diseases must come at the
federal level. The Drug Enforcement Administration's raids on medical
marijuana dispensaries -- often conducted over the vehement objections of
local officials -- have threatened the health and well-being of thousands of
seriously ill Californians who depend on these dispensaries for a safe,
reliable supply of medicine. Congress can put a stop to this by enacting
H.R. 2592, the States' Rights to Medical Marijuana Act, sponsored by U.S.
Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass.

Congress will face another critical decision on medical marijuana shortly:
The voters of Washington, D.C., will consider a medical marijuana initiative
this November, and "drug war" ideologues in Congress have begun a move to
block it before the vote even takes place. Californians need to let their
representatives know that they care about this issue, and they want the
federal government to respect the will of the voters.

BRUCE MIRKEN

Washington, D.C.