You Can Make a Difference
Dear friends,
Urge the Obama administration to clarify its position on medical marijuana.
Earlier this month, we told the Obama administration to stop sending mixed messages on medical marijuana. The drug czar has responded, but he still has his facts wrong. Let's ask President Obama to set his drug czar straight on medical marijuana.
In a recent news interview, drug czar Gil Kerlikowske tried to amend his claim that "marijuana is dangerous and has no medicinal benefit,” saying that he was referring only to smoked marijuana.
That's not good enough, because it’s still not true. The science is clear: marijuana can be highly effective as a medicine when it’s smoked. For some patients, that’s the easiest and most effective way to consume it, and the harms of smoking it pale compared to the benefits.
The president has repeatedly said that science should trump politics. He’s also acknowledged that marijuana can be an effective medicine. We hoped this drug czar would be different from his predecessors. We still hope so, but he needs to abandon the falsehoods and rhetoric of the past.
Our job is to hold the White House and its appointees accountable both to fulfill the promises made by candidate Obama and to ensure that the lies of the drug war become a thing of the past. Write to the president today and ask him to make clear that politics will no longer trump science when it comes to medical marijuana.
Sincerely,
Bill Piper
Director, Office of National Affairs
Drug Policy Alliance Network
