Pubdate: Sat, 03 May 2014
Source: Winona Daily News (MN)
Copyright: 2014 Winona Daily News
Contact: http://www.winonadailynews.com/app/forms/sendletter/
Website: http://www.winonadailynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3177
Author: Robert Sharpe
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v14/n380/a03.html

MEDICAL MARIJUANA IS EASY CALL

Regarding Rep. Steve Drazkowski's Apr. 28 op-ed, if Minnesota Gov. 
Mark Dayton was stricken with cancer, would he seek help from a 
doctor or a police officer?

The "further study is needed" ruse has gone on long enough. It's 
really quite simple. While there have been studies showing that 
marijuana can shrink cancerous tumors, medical marijuana is 
essentially a palliative drug. If a doctor recommends marijuana to a 
cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy and it helps them feel better, 
then it's working. No further study is required.

Drug warriors waging war on non-corporate drugs contend that organic 
marijuana is not an effective health intervention. Their prescribed 
intervention for medical marijuana patients is handcuffs, jail cells 
and criminal records. This heavy-handed approach suggests that drug 
warriors should not be dictating healthcare decisions.

It's long past time to let doctors decide what is right for their 
patients; sick patients should not be jailed for daring to seek 
relief from marijuana.

Robert Sharpe

Arlington, Va
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom