Inbox: Readers Weigh on in Medical Marijuana

What Year Is It?

Crime City columnist Wes Denham’s piece, “The Myth of Medical Marijuana,” surprised me with its scolding tone, physician-like diagnoses and patronizing conclusion.

To wit: “What medical marijuana advocates really want is legal marijuana” (scolding). “A black speck of melanoma” was aggravated by Bob Marley’s use of pot and killed him (really, Dr. Denham?). And worst of all, Denham opposes “legalized marijuana [because] it snuffs out goals and ambitions.”

What is this, 1970? Tell Denham to wake up from whatever non-pot-induced cloud he’s in and get with the program.

Marijuana should be legal for medicinal <> recreational use. Enough with the Prohibition-era speakeasy-like underground that exists every minute of every day as millions of Americans light up, while the law generally averts its eyes.

But because pot is still classified as a Schedule I drug — right up there with heroin, ecstasy and LSD — all the young people (and their parents and grandparents) who smoke it risk serious legal penalties. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have already suffered egregious jail sentences, fines, criminal records and needlessly complicated work histories on account of pot. Patients have suffered needless pain, convulsions, nausea and death itself because they <> use pot.

As for the insulting declaration that pot snuffs out goals and ambitions, I personally know doctors, lawyers, CEOs, CFOs, professors, engineers, you name it, who smoke weed. How does Mr. Denham explain that? And what business is it of his, anyway?

Pot-smoking for recreation and medicinal purposes is here to stay; the laws will catch up eventually, but not soon enough. For his part, Denham better hope nobody he cares about ever suffers from the conditions pot treats so well.

—Cary Herold

Resign Already

Just ran across the compendium of ignorance you published called “The Myth of Medical Marijuana.” You would think the nefarious Harry Anslinger had risen from the grave and found a publisher/editor willing to publish his ignorant drivel. I have had prostate cancer for over 10 years, and chronic back pain for nearly 15. I will tell you now, it is the pharma meds that deserve attention for the harm they do, not cannabis.

When I learned that the meds Big Pharma was pushing on my doctor were destroying my liver, I stopped using all Big Pharma meds and switched to cannabis and diet to deal with those health issues. I can tell you firsthand that Marinol is useless and totally ineffective, and that science has shown that cannabis stops the spread of cancer to the brain, and helps stop its spread in the body.

As an editor, for you to publish such dribble is a reflection on your own inability to do your job properly, to the detriment of those of us who use the most effective drug (cannabis, which has no harmful side effects) as our own choice.

The totally fabricated garbage spewed by your Obama Hater Xian is absurd. You should resign your post as editor for publishing this page full of lies. 

—Mel Zimmer

Well, This Guy Liked It

Thank you for your well-written article, “The Myth of Medical Marijuana.” I completely agree with everything that you wrote concerning marijuana use for medicinal purposes. It’s funny that I should read your article. Just a few moments ago, I was stuck in Orange Park traffic. When I looked in my rearview mirror, to assess the closeness of the car behind me, I saw the two young women in this car smoking pot. Their radio was blasting loud; they were delirious with laughter. I thought to myself how brazen these two women were to be openly smoking weed, out in public.

When I see people on the Buckman Bridge and on I-295 driving all over the place — doing some crazy stuff, at high rates of speed — I often wonder if these individuals are stoned or drunk or both. You are absolutely right about marijuana’s effect on ambition and drive; it does impair judgment.  

—Benjamin E. McConnell