ABSTRACT: Robert Randall, a U.S. citizen, is professor of sociology in Washington D.C. Suffering from a serious form of glaucoma, some years ago he succeeded - by means of a legal battle - in obtaining the acknowledgement of his right to smoke a certain number of marijuana joints every day, for therapeutic purposes. It is proven that marijuana has curative or in any case beneficial effects on certain diseases: not only glaucoma, but also sclerosis and the pains caused by chemotherapy in the treatment of cancer. Randall, who arrived in Italy to take part in the founding Congress of the International Antiprohibitionist League, had sent a letter to Minister of Health Carlo Donat Cattin, asking him to request the Italian government to authorize him to take his medicine with him, given that marijuana is illegal in Italy. The answer was no, and upon his arrival at Fiumicino Airport Randall was arrested at Customs because he had declared to be in possession of marijuana as well as other medicines. After about an ho

ur, the Customs officers - extremely polite, Randall said - released him after seizing all the marijuana he had. Randall took part in the press conference opening the Congress of the International Antiprohibitionist League, and Radio radicale interviewed him.

(Notizie Radicali n. 66 of the 25th of March 1989)

Mister Randall, upon your arrival here in Italy the Customs seized the marijuana joints you use to cure your glaucoma. In how much time will you be needing to assume this drug?

I smoke ten marijuana cigarettes a day, every day. Very soon, in a day, perhaps a day and a half, I will be having trouble. I took other medicines with me, which I normally do not use and which do not have the same effect: however, taken in strong doses, they will give me relief. We will see what happens, day by day, hour by hour, but if things get worse, I will have to rush back to the United States, because I don't want to become blind to see Italy.

What is your opinion on the prohibitionist policies of the United States and of Italy?

I think it is crazy for Italy to try to imitate the Unites States in the policy concerning the war on drugs. One of the things I have come here to say is that the phobia, the hysteria which are involved in the drug problem are really starting to undermine those which we had always considered fundamental democratic rights of the citizens. The accusation of using drugs is becoming a means to hinder or prevent the right of the individual to travel or to talk. Our societies risk becoming police-controlled societies, and this is extremely dangerous.

You are the founder in the United States of the association for the therapeutical use of marijuana. How did you obtain the Government's acknowledgement of this right, and how many people, apart from yourself, have obtained it?

Other three people have been authorized: one of then is ailing from glaucoma, the others from cancer, and marijuana in that case is used to ease the pain. They have been authorized after me, who obtained this authorization in '76. I was arrested and explained that I was using marijuana following my physician's advice, and they said: "Ok, prove that to us", and I got hold of all the existing medical documentation on the therapeutical effects of marijuana. One of the things I discovered during the trial is that the federal government of the United States had been growing marijuana already back in 1970 in a Mississippi plantation, for research purposes. With that marijuana they make cigarettes that look exactly like normal cigarettes without filter-tips and are precisely the ones seized by the Italian customs today. 116 marijuana cigarettes produced by the U.S. government and packaged in dark glass containers. These containers bear labels that explain the contents and its therapeutical effects; a real prescript

ion. What I couldn't explain to the customs officers was that if you arrive in the United States from another country bringing medicines that are illegal or not recognized in the United States, if they are prescribed by a physician, the U.S authorities allow you to use them and even to have a six month's supply. The only thing I asked the Italian government was to grant me this same right. But for some reason this right was denied.

What reasons induced you to join the International Antiprohibitionist League?

For 50 years the United States have been attempting to ban the use of marijuana and other drugs, and things get worse every year: more and more people start using drugs, more and more people use it without control, and the criminal empire is becoming richer and more powerful. Each year they tell us: we have not fought the war on drugs to its end, this years we will succeed.

Perhaps it is time to wonder if this political formulation is not totally wrong, and this is one of the things the LIA will discuss during this congress. I think most people thinks that if someone has a problem with drugs, if someone is an alcoholic or a heroin addict, the government has the responsibility and the duty to ensure that person cures, treatment and detoxication therapy. The thing we must ask ourselves if if the best way to tackle the drug problem is that of considering a drug addict as a criminal instead of a drug addict to be cured.

How far have you come in your battle for the acknowledgement of the therapeutic use of marijuana?

The U.S. government is always very strict on this. We have obtained the decision of a federal district Court supporting our motion in which the judge stated that the therapeutic effects of marijuana were proven. The government is presently analyzing the question and must give an answer shortly. We hope it will answer in the sense of supporting the judge and deciding that marijuana should be used by ailing people; we hope they say: even if we are strenuous supporters of a prohibitionist regime of the social use of marijuana, we certainly to not want to harm those people who have a legitimate need to use it. I hope the government will acknowledge the fact that there are people like me, ailing from glaucoma or people with cancer or other diseases who can obtain beneficial effects from marijuana, and it would be criminal not to use it.