The Honorable Tom Harkin                                                             August 26, 1996
United States Senator
Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510


Dear Senator Harkin,

Enclosed are letters from Allen Helmers and his doctor.  The letters are self-explanatory.  I'd appreciate anything you can do to help Allen, particularly by introducing legislation during the upcoming Congressional session.  A letter from you to the court pleading for leniency may also help him.

I've also enclosed a letter from the Iowa Board of Pharmacy Examiners explaining the history of lowa's therapeutic marijuana research program.  It appears that this program never really got off the ground here, and I believe it should be re-instated in Iowa.

Finally, I've enclosed a copy of an article from the New England Journal of Medicine, which explains how NIDA blocked the AIDS Wasting Syndrome study in California.  I understand that Dr. Abrams has filed another protocol, and I would like you to encourage NIDA to allow such research.

Thank you for considering this issue.

Sincerely,


Ed Fallon


cc: Carl Olsen, Iowans for Medical Marijuana