Pubdate: Wed, 03 Feb 2016
Source: Wichita Eagle (KS)
Copyright: 2016 The Wichita Eagle
Contact: http://www.kansas.com/604
Website: http://www.kansas.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/680
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v16/n060/a10.html
Author: Carl Williams

MEDICAL BENEFITS

As a Wichita representative of the Kansas Silver Haired Legislature 
(KSHL), I would like to respond to the "The new snake oil" (Jan. 26 
Letters to the Editor). Unlike the letter writer, KSHL 
representatives have investigated why America's medical community is 
enthusiastically embracing the healing capabilities of cannabis. 
Based on that research, an 87 percent majority of KSHL 
representatives from across Kansas voted to urge the Legislature to 
legalize medical marijuana.

Though the letter writer said the "Food and Drug Administration has 
never been able to find that cannabis cures anything," according to 
the National Cancer Institute, the potential benefits of medicinal 
cannabis for people living with cancer include prevention of nausea, 
appetite stimulation, pain relief and improved sleep. Scientists have 
also proved that medical marijuana is helpful in treating glaucoma, 
colitis, Crohn's disease, psoriasis, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy 
and diabetes, to name a few conditions.

Rheumatoid arthritis sufferers in Kansas must buy expensive biologic 
medications and highly dangerous and addictive pain medications. They 
could, instead, use medical marijuana to lessen chronic pain and go 
to sleep more naturally. It's even been found to reverse the effects 
of RA in some patients.

It's time to listen to the scientists and medical experts, and reject 
the mythologies surrounding this issue.

CARL WILLIAMS, WICHITA
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