Thanks for Covering Medical-Marijuana Bill

Dear sirs,
    Rep. Elliott Naishtat filed a bill for medical marijuana on Feb. 15. This bill will not legalize marijuana even for medical use. It will protect a doctor's right to discuss any treatments including the use of marijuana without fear of criminal sanctions.
    The bill will not stop the arrest of our sickest patients who use marijuana to prevent their suffering. The only thing it does is allow people who have a valid medical defense to use it as evidence in a court of law. It will still be up to a judge and jury.
    We of Texans for Medical Marijuana lobbied for the bill and held a press conference at the state Capitol that day. There was very little media coverage, even though there were a half dozen television cameras and newspaper reporters there. It still went mostly unrecorded. Thank you Austin Chronicle for covering it in your last issue [“Reefer Madness,” News, Feb. 23].