LIFE AND MARIJUANA

As we approach the Independence Day celebration this year, I think again of
the words that launched this great nation. In particular, these phrases
come to mind: that "all men are created equal" and that all of us are
"endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, and among these
are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." Is there any more
important right than that of life itself?

On June 6, Libertarian Party political director Ron Crickenberger and
campus coordinator Marc Brandl were arrested for civil disobedience while
protesting a federal government crackdown on medical marijuana clinics.
This action was a purposeful one demonstrating that Libertarians recognize
the importance of this right.

For some very ill patients, being forced by the government to forgo medical
marijuana has resulted in terrible suffering - and, yes, it has resulted in
being denied that most basic right: life itself. We should all realize that
we never know when we ourselves, because of cancer or other unforeseeable
circumstance, may find ourselves in their place.

Remember who created marijuana and gave us life? Those who would deny life
by denying this medicine to the suffering and the dying should consider
where their position comes from.

Larry Nickerson, Fort Worth