The public's valid interest in the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes should turn on two questions.

Could this restricted use be a gateway to addictions of other legally prohibited substances? How necessary is scientific verification of the relief that severely sick patients claim?

With medical marijuana laws gaining ground at the state level, Delaware lawmakers have a responsibility to find the answers.

Of the 14 states with such laws, five approved them through their legislatures. Neighboring New Jersey became the most recent state to see both the wisdom and compassion of the law. There is no reason why Delaware should not become the 15th state to do so.

Senate Bill 94 sponsored by Sen. Margaret Rose Henry passed the Senate Health and Social Services in June and awaits a Senate floor vote this session.

Chronically sick residents -- not the ubiquitous potheads opponents fear -- would have access to up to 6 ounces of marijuana, considered a month's supply, from state-licensed centers.

Some doctors say other medicines help relieve the same symptoms that marijuana is celebrated for reducing. That argument dismisses the reality of patient individuality, a driving factor in the growing body of anecdotal evidence to the contrary.

It also ignores centuries of formal medicine's co-existence with alternative treatments.

Decriminalizing doctor-prescribed marijuana is framed with equally weak logic. Federal and local enforcement officials invoke scenarios of doped-up weed smokers wreaking havoc on their criminal budgets.

"We generally do not fund research focused on the potential beneficial medical effects of marijuana," a National Institute on Drug Abuse spokeswoman said recently.

This lopsided focus on the unsubstantiated potential harm from the controlled use of an illegal substance is inexcusable in the 21st century.

Delaware should join the other states in correcting this merciless approach.

Let chronically ill use pot for mercy's sake | delawareonline.com | The News Journal