"misunderstood'' drug legal in Bermuda.

The head of the Bermuda Hemp Association wrote a letter to the The Royal Gazette this week calling for the Bermuda Government and Hospitals Board to grant cancer and AIDS sufferers "immediate access to top-quality cannabis''.

The man, who did not want to be named, claimed if patients smoked marijuana it would ease pain, lift depression, relieve stress, boost appetites and promote rest.

"The attitude adjustment along with better appetite and rest often represents the difference between `dying of AIDS' and `living with AIDS','' the marijuana user said.

He cited several studies on marijuana use claiming the drug caused no physical dependence -- or adverse side effects if use was discontinued.

He said a Harvard Medical School mental health letter from 1987 found marijuana produced a "calm, mildly euphoric state in which time slows and sensitivity to sights, sounds and touch is enhanced.

Medically, the marijuana user said, "It has proven uses for Asthma, Glaucoma, nausea, PMS, MS, herpes, depression, stress and the list goes on.'' He claimed most residents know someone who has or does smoke marijuana.

"Whether they realise it or not,'' he said, "in spite of the ease such drugs as heroin and crack can be obtained at rock-bottom prices, cannabis is still the drug of choice for most of the Island -- despite efforts to eradicate it with a zeal that by far is beyond understanding.

"We think it is time to seriously rethink, with open eyes and minds, the attitude towards this most misunderstood plant.

"It should be up to the individual to use and enjoy the benefits of cannabis without the threat of arrest and incarceration by our so-called progressive legal system.'' The marijuana user said the Bermuda Hemp Association was formed about a year ago and has about eight members.

"We have been tossing about the idea of taking the issue further and are considering talking to a lawyer,'' he said.