The Des Moines Register
Post Office Box 957, Des Moines, Iowa 50304
Phone: 515-284-8000 / Fax: 515-286-2504
E-mail: letters@dmreg.com
Page 18A, The Des Moines Register, Thursday, November 7, 1996
Wise use of marijuana backed
Curt
Smith ("Marijuana Is Hardly a Cure," Oct. 24) denies
that marijuana has valid medical uses and criticizes state Senator Elaine Szymoniak for
voicing support of its medically-supervised use. He is wrong on both counts.
Actually,
marijuana has been used as a safe and effective medicine for nearly every culture on Earth
for thousands of years. Modern research, to the extent that is has been allowed, has
continued to support its safety and efficacy for a variety of conditions.
Recently that American Nurses Association approved a resolution
calling for nurses' education regarding the therapeutic uses of marijuana and supporting
continued investigation in controlled trials. The ANA joins the American
Public Health Association, the National
Nurses Society on Addictions and several state nursing associations supporting
patients' rights to use marijuana as medicine under medical supervision.
Szymoniak and
other Iowa legislators who support responsible use of medical marijuana are to be praised
for their compassion and courage.
-- Sylvia and Ben Olson,
57615 220th Ave., Pocahontas.