vol2 - Page 193

 ..... and the desire to eat do a world of good for a patient's
 feelings about himself, and about his treatment°
 42. By 1979, there was an on=going social, political
 debate about marijuana's medical uses. How,veto in the medical
 community_ itself_ this debate had already been decided. !
 would estimate that up to twenty-fly, percents perhaps even
 thirty percents of the patients I saw during t?his period were
 using marijuana which they had illegally obtained°
 43. In this environment, political action to make
 marijuana legally available to these patients was inevitable.
 In response to demands of patients, and to the less public but
 equally adamant demands of physicians_ t_he legislature in
 California enacted a "Marijuana as Medicine" law.
 44. While I was not intimately involved in drafting this
 legislation, and did not testify in favor of this legislations
 it was my impression as a physician that the purpose of this
 effort was to make marijuana available_ by prescription, to
 cancer patients, and to patients suffering from glaucoma --
 another disease responsive to marijuana therapy.
 ...... 45. To the extent that I understood the purpose of this
 !awt ! strongly supported its enactment° I_ and many other
 members of the medical community, were gl_eatly relieved when
 the legislature confronted this problem in a responsible manner
 and overwhelmingly voted to make marijuana available to
 patients with legitimate medical needs°
 46° !ssues of drug use and drug abuse often become
 hostage to the whim_ of zealots and fanatics° !n the case of