“Mr. Prichard,
I am writing you with respect to the MFC policy with regard to medical marijuana. I am a conservative Christian and I have attended church most of my life. I am college educated, have two adult children, and have worked as a chef for many years. I was born with a defect to my left foot that eventually led to a mass forming around my left ankle. This had to be removed surgically, and my ankle had to be fused. As well, I was in an accident that caused injury to my spine which necessitated my spine being fused in two places. The lack of mobility and my career choice has led to constant weight gain because it is very difficult to exercise consistently with so much pain. My doctor at MAPS has had me on various medicines over the years like Morphine, Dilaudid, Fentanyl, and Oxycontin. These are all powerful narcotics, which are extremely addictive, and debilitating. The pills can lead to abuse, so, most recently the doctor has wanted to put me on a Fentanyl transdermal patch, or he said, I could have a pain pump implanted. The patch has been in the news lately because some of them have failed catastrophically and led to the death of the patient using them. The pain pump is implanted surgically and delivers the narcotic directly into the spinal column and requires a port to inject the medicine into. Neither of these options is viable for me. I want off the narcotics, but every time that I try to wean myself off of them, the pain comes back worse than ever, and I experience cold sweats, nausea, vomiting, shaking, insomnia, and hallucinations: all to the extreme. Legislation that would allow me to medicate myself by smoking a small amount of Marijuana is before the Minnesota State legislature and you constantly lobby against it. I take exception with your characterization of the bill that it would allow anyone over 18 years of age to grow “pot.” You are sensationalizing the issue, and acting as though this will give everyone access to Marijuana. That is absurd! I do not support legalization of Marijuana for the broader public, but I ask myself “why you are so adamant about denying me the ability to legally, safely, and cheaply procure, and use medical Marijuana?” Let’s face it, if you want to buy “pot” it isn’t that difficult, and I see addicts constantly manipulating doctors at the pain clinic. They don’t even look like the rest of the patients, and are easy to spot, and that is for “legal“medication. My doctor has said that he would support my use of Marijuana as soon as the state legalizes its use medically, but my own conservative, Christian brethren are lobbying against it. I have prayed about this so much, and the only thing preventing me from using Marijuana is that it is illegal to do so under the current law, and the Bible says to obey the law of the land. This is pure insanity! I pray that the Minnesota Family Council will reconsider their stand on this issue, and relent to support it as a compassionate legal alternative to powerful narcotics, and surgical implantation of medical devices, to use by those with terminal illness, and chronic intractable pain among others. Until you can do that, I ask that you please remove me from your mailing list, and email list. Thank you for listening, and for your prayerful consideration of this matter. I have included all of my contact information so that you know I am a real person and not a troll, and I welcome any reasonable dialogue in regards to this matter. In Christ, David Copenhaver”

What evidence do they have for their conspiracy theory that could stand up in court, and what evidence do they have that shows the introduction of marijuana to be a direct factor in the degradation of the family? Are there not far more pressing factors contributing to said degradation that are not only legal, but encouraged in the American lifestyle? Career mobility, socio-economic status, our need for instant gratification, and the lack of educated understanding of the familial constructs available to producing a functional family unit. Then again, what would I know? I’m just some obscure individual lost in the world of the web.

“[M]arijuana has an extremely wide acute margin of safety for use under medical supervision and cannot cause lethal reactions … [G]reater harm is caused by the legal consequences of its prohibition than possible risks of medicinal use.”

– American Public Health Association, Resolution #9513, “Access to Therapeutic Marijuana/Cannabis,” 1995

The American Public Health Association (APHA) is the oldest and largest organization of public health professionals in the world. The APHA represents more than 50,000 members and has been effectively influencing policies and setting priorities in public health since 1872. I’m guessing the APHA knows a little something about medicine.