MEDICALLY, POT IS AN ASSET

Sandra S. Bennett, in her June 3 letter, "Stop legalizing movement," uses
evangelical science to voice her objections to marijuana.

Marijuana is one of the more important pharmaceutical assets available to
physicians, who are prevented prescription privileges because right-wing
ideology has infected the minds of our legislators.

Medical marijuana is a pain reliever with virtually no risky side effects.
It would undoubtedly be the first choice for stimulating the appetite of
cancer and AIDS patients. Medical marijuana is highly valuable for treating
glaucoma and relieves pain in patients with osteoarthritis and multiple
sclerosis. From a psychological viewpoint, there are very few drugs as
effective as marijuana in relieving depression.

The fuzzy math Bennett uses to distort the marijuana consumer is
ridiculous. The "simple possession" prisoner has bloated the prison
population and is responsible for a system that is giving home-buying jobs
to thousands of police and prison guards with a drug war that is costing
more than blowing up Afghanistan to get at the oil.

Legalization is the only sane alternative for a product that can serve
humanity in many ways better than incarceration. There is no harm is using
marijuana; the harm comes from imprisonment.

Larry Little

Vancouver