News: Dope Dealing

In an attempt to deal a winning hand to people who suffer from debilitating diseases and who are being targeted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) recently sent a deck of playing cards to every member of Congress. The deck lists 52 reasons to support the legalization of medical marijuana (see "Drug War Victory," issue of Nov. 9, 2005).

"The Deal on Medical Marijuana: 52 Reasons Why You Should Support Medical Marijuana Access" includes statistics as well as quotations and endorsements from major medical organizations, cancer survivors, a judge, a former U.S. Surgeon General and many others.

"Federal opposition to sensible medical marijuana laws is well-funded and intentionally misleading, causing the debate to get stuck in a rut," says Aaron Houston, director of government relations for MPP. "These decks are an attempt to break out of that rut. Is it a gimmick? Sure, but when you don't have the resources the government has, there's nothing wrong with using a gimmick in service of the truth."

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For more information on medical marijuana, visit www.mpp.org.