[Sativa]

Medical marijuana is a popular issue. A November 2005 nationwide Gallup poll showed 78 percent of Americans support making marijuana legally available for doctors to prescribe in order to reduce pain and suffering, and state medical marijuana initiatives have been repeatedly endorsed by voters.

Many otherwise illegal substances, can legally be prescribed by doctors. The same should be true for marijuana.

Many of the legal alternatives proposed by opponents of medical marijuana are too expensive, too addictive, and have too many side effects to be good medicine for all patients.

This is not a partisan issue; it is a compassion issue. Ultimately, the decision of what medicine is best for an illness should be left up to the patient and the doctor, not to the government.

When they have their doctor's approval, patients should be able to use medical marijuana without fear of arrest and imprisonment. They should also be able to rely on a safe supply of marijuana, without having to resort to the dangerous criminal market.

State government should use tax money to prosecute violent criminals, not punish medical marijuana users.

For all of these reasons, our Legislature should enact laws that protect patients from arrest and imprisonment.

News Hawk: Lord Mong - http://www.420Magazine.com
Source: Montgomery Advertiser
Author: Michael Keener
Copyright: 1997- 2007 The Advertiser Co.
Website: montgomeryadvertiser.com*::* Relax medical marijuana laws