Columnist uninformed on marijuana issue

It is obvious that Mr. Boyd did little more to prepare for writing his article "Pothead's High a Lost Utopia" than skim the headline of The Herald-Times Tuesday and watch "Dazed and Confused." The Supreme Court's ruling did not make medicinal marijuana illegal. Individual states still have control over that issue, nine of which currently deem medicinal marijuana a valid and extremely useful means of treatment. The Monday ruling merely stated that pharmaceutical companies could not sell the drug. Patients can still grow their own marijuana - they just can't buy it from a reputable company mandated by government regulations. The ruling did little more than make obtaining the drug for those in need more difficult. This is not a victory in the drug war. This ruling certainly isn't keeping marijuana off the streets. It is only a thorn in the side of already suffering individuals who are legally seeking relief from excruciating pain. Mr. Boyd seems to believe that marijuana cannot do anything that prescription drugs cannot. Again, he shows how little research or thought he put into his "article." The main proponent for the use of medicinal marijuana is that it has helped patients maintain their appetites and reduces nausea. It has been proven to greatly aid individuals suffering from wasting syndrome, a common occurrence in AIDS and cancer patients - due to the diseases themselves and the treatments for them. Wasting syndrome is one of the most severe causes of pain and discomfort for a patient. Success of medicinal marijuana in clinical trials has far exceeded that of Marinol (a synthetic of THC), and can be used without the unpleasant side effects of the synthetic version. I personally watched my father's 5'11" frame dwindle down to 70 lbs. before he passed away, and if "making out with his bong," as our sensitive journalist put it, would have helped to alleviate even a miniscule amount of his pain, I would have lit it for him. Instead his three young children were responsible for giving him morphine four times a day for almost two years. At the age of 14 my biggest concern was making sure that his medication wasn't late -- because after a couple of months his body was addicted to the morphine, and while it no longer helped his pain, to miss one dose in his frail state could have killed him. Morphine, while mildly suppressing his pain, also suppressed his personality, and did nothing to curb the deterioration of his body. Marijuana would not have killed him or altered his personality, and it might have helped to slow the wasting away of his body.\nI'm not sure why Mr. Boyd believes he is in a position to insinuate that ailing individuals who use medicinal marijuana are potheads looking to score big at Taco Bell in the wee hours of the morning. Maybe I'm reading into this, but his article by and large seemed to be advocating drinking large amounts of alcohol to relieve pain instead of using medication. I've never read anything supporting medicinal alcohol use. By his own admission he has "broken entire appendages while under the influence of alcohol," which doesn\'t exactly make him sound like a responsible or intelligent source on this matter. Medicinal marijuana isn't a cause being touted by a bunch of hippies hoping to get cancer or AIDS so that they can legally get high. It is a concern of people who are suffering greatly and need relief. Whether you support medicinal marijuana or not is irrelevant. Everyone is entitled to have their own opinion, but to insinuate that people in a great deal of pain with no other recourse are merely looking for a quick high is morally reprehensible.\nAlthough Mr. Boyd seems to believe he knows what pain is, I strongly suggest that he spend some time volunteering at Hospice or a similar organization before insulting the public with his misinformed and ignorant statements on this matter in the future.