[420 Girl]

Access to medical marijuana for sick patients would be a no-brainer in a just and caring society. However, we live in New Jersey, where the politicians generally vote based on which side "contributes" the most money.

It is obvious that drug companies, alcohol and tobacco industries, criminal lawyers, prison guards and police unions have unlimited resources to buy political influence with our state legislators. The other side of the medical marijuana fight is the sick who struggle to pay for their care:

Cancer patients whose chemotherapy results in profound nausea and vomiting.

Glaucoma patients whose intraocular pressure can't be controlled with legal medicine.

Epileptics whose seizures resist control.

Multiple sclerosis patients, who can't tolerate the side effects of the legal medicines.

Other conditions known to benefit from cannabis sativa include AIDS, paraplegia & quadriplegia, chronic pain, migraine, rheumatic diseases, depression and other mood disorders, menstrual cramps, etc.

No one has ever died from smoking marijuana.

Thousands die each year from legal prescription and non-prescription drugs.

With marijuana's safety profile, it is imperative that patients who benefit from this natural herb be allowed to use it without fear of arrest, major legal expenses and possible prison.

Thank you, state Sens. Whelan and Scutari, for your support of this long overdue bill (S-88, A-933) for medical marijuana. It is now time for New Jersey citizens to talk with their state representatives and learn where they stand on this critically important issue.

Steven Fenichel, M.D.
Ocean City

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