Letter: Majority approved of marijuana

EDITOR,
I am in disagreement with the argument that a medical marijuana dispensary is inherently wrong for Scotts Valley.
The vast majority of Scotts Valley residents (i.e., 61 percent) approved Proposition 215 in 1996. There is overwhelming scientific research pointing to beneficial impacts of cannabis for persons with diseases such as cancer and HIV/AIDS. Scotts Valley has pharmacies at which residents can fill prescriptions for pharmaceuticals prescribed by their physicians.
I believe that Scotts Valley residents have the capacity to logically analyze the scientific evidence regarding the medicinal benefits of cannabis; the compassion to want patients to have local access to all physician-prescribed medicines (are you actually suggesting that it is reasonable for my grandmother, vomiting after chemotherapy treatments, to get on the bus to obtain her medication elsewhere?); and the ability to ensure that a dispensary, if opened, is appropriately located and in full compliance with state laws.
Mindi Ann Golden, Ph.D, Scotts Valley resident and communication studies professor, San Francisco State University