[420 Girl]

The so-called war on drugs has gotten us so addled that we operate in a fear-induced haze. Mention even the smallest easing of restrictions on drugs for eminently logical reasons, and people have hallucinations.

Take the medical use of marijuana. Its use is a symbol of the libertine ’60s, so the topic is all tied up in the old and boring culture wars of the Vietnam generation. It’s really a question of proper medical treatment.

We feel the unreasonable bureaucratic bonds on prescription medicine is part of the health-care problems we face, but even within the limits of those foolish controls, permitting doctors to prescribe marijuana to ease suffering is a no-brainer.

Opponents say marijuana is a gateway drug, and we shouldn’t allow one more legalized drug in our society. That is beside the point.

The proper question is whether marijuana is an effective medicine. Apparently it is. Many prescription medicines are abused, but surely no one would say we should stop permitting the use of any new prescription drugs.

Supports of legalizing marijuana for medical purposes will be making a push in coming weeks to legalize marijuana as a prescription product. They will be airing television ads in Illinois depicting people suffering from painful diseases who have found relief by smoking marijuana, hoping to sway those who still have open minds.

Realizing some opinions on the subject are set in emotional concrete, the proposal has ample safeguards and restrictions — far more than reasonably necessary. The use of medical marijuana would be limited to a three-year pilot program. At the end of that period, a commission would judge whether its use should be continued.

In addition, those who are permitted to smoke marijuana for medical purposes would not be allowed to drive. This is tantamount to saying anyone who is allowed to purchase alcohol cannot drive, because he or she might become a drunken driver.

The restrictions proposed for the medical use of marijuana approach the absurd. There is no sensible reason why it shouldn’t be given a try.

http://www.420magazine.com/forums/in...ral-issue.html