Pubdate: Tue, 15 Jun 2010
Source: Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL)
Copyright: 2010 The Daily Herald Company
Contact:  http://www.dailyherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/107
Author: Don Ryan
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v10/n417/a02.html

LET'S MOVE BEYOND 'REEFER MADNESS'

Thank you for your recent guest editorials on the bad and
compassionate sense of legalizing marijuana for medical use. I am a
person that has had two car accidents and three cervical surgeries in
the last three years and has had to live with chronic pain all the
time and every day.

I do not know if marijuana would help relieve my pain, but considering
the end results from the current medication I am on (which could be
addiction and or liver damage), I strongly agree that marijuana is a
compassionate and safer way of treating this condition. I support
medical marijuana if the sale is controlled to screened patients and I
appreciate the safety factor that patients can grow their own balm. In
fact, if there is poisoned marijuana coming from Mexico as your guest
stated, it only makes more sense to let patients grow it in their
homes for self-consumption.

I appreciate the educated and well-meaning people who raise caution to
society concerning the possible pitfalls of legalizing this plant, but
when I can reduce the pain I have every moment and grow the product in
my own home, that sounds like a great thing. I believe we as a society
have to move beyond the "Reefer Madness" mentality and truly consider
if this plant can do good, also.

Don Ryan

Carol Stream
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