William E. Stempsey

About the author: William E. Stempsey is a Jesuit priest and a medical doctor who teaches the philosophy of medicine and medical ethics at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Marijuana relieves the pain, nausea, and vomiting that accompany the advanced stages of many illnesses and should be legalized for medicinal use. Although some who oppose medicinal use of marijuana argue that marijuana is an unproven drug, but relief of pain is difficult to quantify. What is more important is the fact that terminally ill patients have obtained relief from pain by using marijuana. The evidence used to support the argument that marijuana is a gateway to other drugs is also inconclusive. The federal government should not interfere with the war against pain and suffering that patients and...