[420 Girl]

Hawaii - As a registered nurse who works at a medical marijuana (cannabis) clinic, I find it perfectly clear why one Big Island doctor certifies a large portion of Hawaii’s medical cannabis patients: He is a specialist.

He should not be criticized for doing his job well. Any other physician specialist (orthopedist, cardiologist, neurosurgeon, etc) who did the majority of work in his specialty would be sought after because “they must be the best in their field.”

I find it judgmental and presumptuous for less educated law enforcement personnel with no particular knowledge of each patient’s condition to question any physician’s medical decision making.

Historically, law enforcement officers tend to assume that marijuana is dangerous simply because it has been illegal.

However, medical cannabis has been used for thousands of years and is the safest pain medicine on the planet. No one has ever died from cannabis, while over 10,000 people die every year from using over-the-counter pain medicines such as Tylenol, aspirin, Advil and Alleve. I

t was Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, who told us “First, do no harm.”

The prejudice voiced toward Big Island medical cannabis needs to end. The medical cannabis specialty here is simply more progressive.

I fully support its use, as does the American Nurses Association (ANA).

Sandra Webb

Kailua-Kona

This Letter to the Editor appeared in the West Hawaii Today March 29, 2010


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