Marijuana makes people feel better, Court's ruling makes reader sick

I am writing in regards to the supreme court ruling on medical marijuana. It makes me sick to know that I live in a country in which congress and the supreme court can decide what medicine my doctor can prescribe for me. I am not aware of any members of congress or the supreme court that are medical doctors, yet the following quote from Clarence Thomas indicates that maybe there is: "It is clear from the text of the act that Congress has made a determination that marijuana has no medical benefits worthy of an exception." On what grounds has Congress based this determination?

Does congress and the supreme court really feel that someone with a terminal illness such as AIDS or terminal cancer should not have access to ANY drugs that make them feel better and improve their quality of life.

Obviously, smoked marijuana is not a perfect medicine. Let's compare it to the perfectly legal drug Morphine. Morphine is highly addictive. Marijuana is not. Morphine can be lethal if an overdose occurs. In 1994, the Drug Abuse Warning Network found, in its sample of emergency room incidents, 251 morphine deaths. There has never been a recorded death attributed to smoking (or ingesting for that matter) too much marijuana.

It makes me wonder how much of a lobby influence the pharmaceutical companies are having on congress? I imagine that these pharmaceutical companies would have a lot to lose if congress ever allowed the use of medical marijuana. It would be pretty hard for them make any money on a medicine that anyone could grow in their backyard or basement!

Josh L. Clark
Purdue Staff

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