Might need to change the 5842 to 5843 before sending
Stand up and Fight I challenge you!

I'm writing to urge your support for H.R. 5842, also know as the â??Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act.â?

If approved, H.R. 5842 would end the federal governmentâ??s conflict with the twelve states that have already approved medical cannabis legislation. At the same time, it will not alter or interfere with already existing federal laws discouraging the non-medical, recreational use of marijuana, nor would it force medical cannabis on states that have not approved it.

The use of marijuana as medicine is a public health issue; it should not be part of the war on drugs. According to a recent national survey of U.S. physicians conducted for the American Society of Addiction Medicine, nearly half of all doctors with opinions support legalizing cannabis as a medicine. Some 80 state and national health care organizations, including the American Nurses Association, American Public Health Association and The New England Journal of Medicine, support immediate, legal patient access to medical cannabis.

Most recently, the largest association of doctors of internal medicine and the second largest medical association in the country, the American College of Physicians, released a policy paper in support of medical cannabis, stating, "The ACP strongly urges protection from criminal or civil penalties for patients who use medical marijuana as permitted under state laws."

To deny an effective medication to the sick and dying in order to "send a strong message to kids" against drug abuse is cruel and unconscionable, and improperly interferes with the relationship between a patient and his or her physician. State and federal laws already allow the medical use of many drugs, such as cocaine and morphine, which can be abused in a non-medical setting. Basic compassion and common sense demand that we allow the seriously ill to use whatever medication provides safe and effective relief. That is why 8 out of 10 American voters now say they support the legalization of cannabis for medical purposes.

Presently, twelve states - Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont and Washington - have enacted laws protecting medical marijuana patients from state prosecution. Itâ??s time that we allowed our unique federalist system to work the way it was intended, and permit these statesâ?? citizens and their representatives to enact laws permitting the medical use of cannabis, free from federal interference.

I believe it is unconscionable to deny this effective medicine to sick and dying patients. I urge you to support H.R. 5842.