Letter: Importance of Cannabis
Angela Fairless
October 30, 2009
The Daily Astorian (Oregon)
As one of 244 Clatsop County residents registered as a patient in the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program, I was pleasantly surprised by the recent change in federal policy.
The reports of sometimes deadly raids from federal agents during the George Bush years were nightmare-inducing for me as a mother, not to mention un-American. Maybe those of us who use this amazing medicine responsibly will all be able to breathe a little easier, for now.
And while we are all breathing easier because of a more rational federal approach, I hope that we can start to understand the importance of the cannabis plant not just for medicine, but also industrial hemp.
More importantly though, I hope that the subject will become a hot topic so as not to be so taboo. The media and politicians are afraid to talk about it, which is why the public is confused about it. However, ignorance and fear cannot be an excuse for continued discrimination and detrimental policies. | 
