Pubdate: Sat, 15 Sep 2007 Source: Wichita Eagle (KS) Copyright: 2007 The Wichita Eagle Contact: http://www.wichitaeagle.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/680 Author: C. A. Riley MARIJUANA'S BETTER It comes as no surprise to me that many prescription and even over-the-counter drugs are dangerous, and that "adverse drug events" have escalated dramatically during the past decade ("Prescription 'adverse events' mount, despite oversight," Sept. 11 Eagle). According to the article, the drugs most often linked to serious problems, including deaths, are from two categories: those that work primarily on the immune system, such as drugs used for diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS and Crohn's disease; and pain relievers, both prescription and nonprescription, commonly used for degenerative disk disease, osteoarthritis and many other causes of chronic pain. Not only has marijuana been shown to be therapeutically effective in all these medical conditions, but because it's 100 percent natural, marijuana also is far safer. There has never been a single recorded case of death attributed to marijuana use. Which medicine would you choose if marijuana were legalized for medicinal purposes? C. A. Riley Wichita - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake