Pubdate: Mon, 01 Mar 2010 Source: Clarion, The (University of Denver, Edu) Copyright: 2010 The Clarion Contact: http://www.duclarion.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5126 Author: Matt Cole MARIJUANA USE IS RESPECTABLE Dear Editor, I am writing you regarding the Clarion's article, "Dispensary opens near campus." I feel that Medical Marijuana Dispensaries are great and should continue to open all around the city. To put it simply, these dispensaries open to make money and more importantly, to help people. No one questions when a new bar or liquor store opens, and all they open for is to make money and get people drunk. It is not as if anyone can go into these stores and smoke pot, only 17,356 in Denver can go into these dispensaries. All of those people go to these dispensaries to help ease the pain of their everyday lives. As someone who strongly believes in natural remedies, I feel that the medical marijuana option should be a more recommended option for treatment. America has become so dependent on taking lab made pills, a pill of this, a pill for that. Marijuana is a drug that has been scrutinized for decades, yet has so many positive effects. People who have trouble sleeping or have severe pains take pills which they become addicted too and that have long lists of negative side effects. Our society needs to look past all of the stigmatism towards marijuana and start making decisions based on hard evidence. Sincerely, Matt Cole DU Undergraduate Student