Smoking tobacco is known to be harmful to the smoker's health, yet smoking is legal as it should be. In a free country, each individual is free to make personal decisions regardless of whether the choice might be harmful, such as parachute jumping, poor nutrition or a sedentary lifestyle.

Contrary to individual liberty, use of marijuana is made a crime by the federal government. Not only that, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) arrests sick people for using marijuana to cope with their illness. The DEA does not respect state laws that have legalized the use of medical marijuana in California and eight other states so far.

As reported by the Drug Policy Alliance, “In the early morning hours, fully-armed DEA and Justice Department agents jeopardized the lives of seriously ill people when they launched a raid on a peaceful community's medical marijuana hospice.”

The hospice was in Santa Cruz California where medical marijuana is legal. Both the city and county of Santa Cruz are now suing the federal government on behalf of patients who use medical marijuana to relieve the symptoms of their illness and ease the side effects of traditional treatments.

Joining the suit is Eladio Acosta who has battled throat cancer since 1999. His chemotherapy treatments made him so sick he vomited for days afterward. When his doctor recommended medical marijuana, his life changed. He credits it with keeping him alive.

The U.S. House of Representatives has twice voted down the “Hinchley-Rohrbacher Amendment” to stop the DEA raids on sick people. Congressman Castle voted with the majority to allow the DEA to continue arresting sick people and taking away their medicine.

Alcohol prohibition caused more harm than good and was finally repealed. The war on drugs also does more harm than good, and will be repealed, sooner or later. Meanwhile, a particularly cruel harm is the preventable suffering and early death of fellow citizens who are denied use of medical marijuana. State referendums are being passed with large majorities to allow use of medical marijuana. The DEA is violating this compassion of Americans. Congress needs to put a leash on the DEA.

Further Information:

www.marijuanapolicy.org

www.drugpolicy.org