"Growth Industry," Joel Warner, February 5
Thank you for a fair, comprehensive, well-written article on medical cannabis. This sets the standard for intelligent, adult discussion of this issue. I believe that we will begin to see more of this kind of propaganda-free investigation across mainstream media.
For far too long, the "just say no," head-in-the-sand policy has squelched true public discourse on this extremely important subject.
Brinna Nanda
via the Internet
Mike Lee is a dumbass who has ruined a huge part of this medical scene for us! I am a medical patient and have heard nothing but bad things about that bastard. Shame on you, Westword, for turning to such a dumbass.
Name withheld
Thanks to Joel Warner for another excellent article. As he mentioned, the Colorado Board of Health has proposed a rule change that would impose a limit on the number of medicinal cannabis patients for whom a caregiver could work. This will only make it more difficult for patients to get their medicine by forcing them back into the black market.
Currently, a caregiver can provide for many patients. Most patients do not have the knowledge or are too sick to grow their own cannabis. It takes years of practice to learn how to grow an adequate supply of cannabis for one patient, with only the six plants allowed by the Colorado Constitution. Cannabis cultivation experts have been enlisted to serve as caregivers, and therapeutic cannabis dispensaries have formed all over Colorado to provide for multiple patients. The dispensaries are able to produce medicines in quantities large enough to keep the cost to the patient at a minimum and also to create edible forms of cannabis, such as cookies, brownies and other foods. Although cooking with cannabis requires a much larger amount of the raw substance, eating cannabis food is a far healthier way to ingest the medicine.
Recently, the White House reiterated its intention to change federal policy to allow states to regulate medicinal cannabis and to stop federal prosecution of medical cannabis patients. In light of this new federal policy, it is the perfect time for Colorado to take the next step. The Board of Health should be compassionate and helpful toward these sick and dying people and not put more obstacles in their way. The board's public hearing on the proposed changes is March 18, and the deadline to submit written comments is March 2.
Laura Kriho
Colorado Citizens for Compassionate Cannabis
"No Food-Stamp Soup for You!," Off Limits, February 12</p>
Just for kicks, I went back and looked at our food expenditures for January. They averaged $4.66 per person per day, and that included my addiction to Diet Coke and my husband's beer. You're right, anyone who wants to can eat well on $5 a day.
Ginger Schlote
Denver
I appreciate the lively discussion of my low-carb food-stamp diet, as I appreciate Westword's independent voice in Colorado. However, I'd like to clear up a couple of possible misperceptions.
First, I've written far more against the bailouts, both under Bush and Obama, than I've written about food stamps. If Westword cares to propose a reasonable protest of the bailouts sufficiently sensationalistic for Westword to cover, please let me know what it is, and I will be happy to do it.
Second, the regressive payroll taxes that lop off a combined 15.3 percent of each paycheck make it practically impossible for the poor and lower-middle class to save and get ahead. I favor repealing the payroll taxes (at least) for the poor. Also, I favor voluntarily funded food banks not only because they respect people's rights, but because they offer better nutrition more economically.
Ari Armstrong
Westminster