[420 Girl]

Pennsylvania legislators should take notice that the Obama administration has decided to rein in federal law enforcement officials from pursuing users of medicinal marijuana.

That's good news in California and the dozen or so other states that allow the use of medical marijuana. It also should empower lawmakers here in the Keystone State to legalize medicinal marijuana, which can ease the symptems and suffering of many patients afflicted with cancer, HIV/AIDS and multiple sclerosis.

State Rep. Mark Cohen, D-Philadelphia introduced H.B. 1393 to allow the use of medical marijuana under certain restrictions. Marijuana would be dispensed from approved "compassion centers" that non-profits or possibly a state agency would run. But the measure has gained only a handful of co-sponsors. Now the Obama administration has announced that federal drug agents will not pursue medical marijuana users or their suppliers in states where medicinal marijuana is legal. That's a reversal of the Bush administration's aggressive prosecution of medicinal marijuana users. And it should encourage Pennsylvania legislators to provide at long last legal recognition of marijuana's palliative possibilities. Pennsylvanians in pain should not have to leave the state for treatment — or buy the drug from criminals.

For some patients whom traditional medicine has not helped, medical marijuana offers hope for relief from pain, nausea, loss of appetite and wasting. A 1999 Institute of Medicine study confirmed the effectiveness of medical marijuana in relieving such symptoms. But lawmakers have been reluctant to legalize its use, fearful of appearing "soft on drugs." That's silly. Professional groups from the American Academy of Family Physicians to the American Nurses Association have recommended allowing patients to use medical marijuana. Many polls indicate that overwhelmingly, the public supports medical marijuana.

Sick people who can obtain a doctor's prescription for marijuana should be able to use it legally. Why prosecute someone suffering from multiple sclerosis if marijuana works better than many a traditional prescription drug? Police have more important duties than chasing down sick people. With the feds backing off, there's no better time for Pennsylvania to pass a medical marijuana bill.

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