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 legislators and h_gh state officials was rewarding and
 encouraging. I found co_passlonate_ _e_l meaning and dedicated
 people In the medical p_ofesslons and :Ln elective office who
 could overcome decades of anti-drug hysteria to take aff£rmat£v_
 actlon te m_e marijuana available to _erlo_ly Ill patients.
 121. Unfortunately_ I also learned federal agencies
 ate addicted to an outdated and dlecredi_ed policy whlch
 classifies ma_i_u_nm a_ medically useless and _'_sa_e" for use
 under medlcal eupe_vlslono And I dlscovered federal efflciais
 will go to extraordinary lengths to malnta_n marlgua_a's
 m_claesif_c_on. _n all candor _ found off_clal_ at FDA, DEn,
 N_DA and NCI to be _ more _onc,_ned with _a_ntain_ng a
 discredited proh_blt_on than in meet!n_ le_tlma_e public health
 needs.
 • 22. _f _ had to do it all over again _ _ould. And _
 became close to _omeone with cancer ._ or developed cancer
 _y_elf and had to _,_nder_o radiation and/or chemotherapy t_eat-
 monte _ would _ot hesitant to break the law and s_o_e marijuana
 to meet my medical needs.
 123. To be perfectly honest, _ would not give a damn
 whether the very _eal medical beneflt_ _ _ecelved from mariju-
 ana were _anc_ioned by _ederal agencAee o_ not. Marijuana,
 legally obtained or bought off the street, _o_s. And if the
 federal government blocks patients from galn_ng licit access to
 marijuana, as they have done in Geo_gla_ those patients can
 always _eet their legitimate medlcal needs by _ecom_ng c_imina_