Michigan Medical Meijuana Forum You can pretty much go through my entire friends list and add them as friends. I'm sure 80% of them would accept the friend request and support the cause!
My grandma was diagnosed with colon cancer and it has manifested itself in other locations within and on her body, and is currently going through chemotherapy. She suffers from nausea and pain, has lost her appetite, and has irregular sleep patterns. Her nausea pills run $25 per pill. She has lost twenty pounds since beginning treatment four weeks ago. I introduced the idea of smoking marijuana half-kidding around and the family had a good laugh.
I hate seeing her in this condition. I don't know if she has ever smoked weed, I assume not, but she has smoked cigarettes for decades and has tapered off use recently. This past week I rolled her a joint of some Holland's Hope and brought it over when my grandpa had left for a hockey game. She willingly accepted it, and when I asked, she said my grandpa wouldn't mind. I assumed he was against it. Some of my family I know has tried smoking cannabis, a few haven't, and some I am still unsure about. She is saving it for a bad day (the first few days following new treatments). I told her to smoke half of it and see how it affects her. I also suggested the use of tea and she seemed very interested in that. I have never tried nor made cannabis tea, but if she wants to try it I will make it for her.
I didn't want to give her poor quality herb, so I chose Holland's Hope to help minimize her pain. My grandmother actually mentioned that she talked to a woman, with whom she plays Bridge, who tried smoking cannabis when she underwent chemotherapy. The woman said it helped ease the symptoms associated with the treatment.
Cannabis has been used for millennia by every culture throughout the world. It is, to me, a normal, growing, rooting, fruiting, angiosperm which happens to possess medicinal values and biologically active chemicals. Medicinal plants can be found in locations all over the globe. New plants and compounds are being discovered and documented on a daily basis. We are absolutely limiting ourselves by repressing a plant with such potential. This one happens to have been repressed by our government a century ago due to its ties with certain cultures and ethnic groups.
The groups with which marijuana has been associated have been changed or slightly modified throughout the decades, but that is STILL the underlying cause of its illegality. Times have changed, people have changed, our culture has changed, and the laws should be reviewed, revised, and amended accordingly. We truly are a melting pot. What was once white, black, hispanic, asian, etcetera, is now a culmination of beliefs, values, habits, and traditions. We cannot deny these changes. We need to move forward, not backward.
This country is in dire need of a big overhaul and reform of many of our current policies. Some simply do not work anymore and cause problems. Laws that were made two-hundred, one-hundred, or even thirty years ago may not be the best policy for us or may not even apply to current situations. In my opinion, as the younger, newer, free-thinking generation replaces the old-timers in office, we will see the restrictions being slowly lifted.
Currently there are politicians, who would like to change the laws, but I believe they are afraid to speak up because of their peers and fears that it would threaten their job security. Our representatives are there to do just that: represent the public. We have a pseudo-democracy. Real democracy went out the window a long time ago. With all of these lobbyists influencing the way our elected officials think, the public voice has been muffled. I understand there is a reason for everything, but adjustments have to be made. They do not have to happen all at once, but a gradual conformity towards acceptance would be nice.
I admit that there is a difference between use and abuse of recreational marijuana. Just as anything else (alcohol, tobacco, and food for example), things need to be taken and used in moderation, otherwise they can become a problem. Smoking is not the only way to utilize the plant. Smoking is detrimental to your body, but many of us know there are alternative methods; vaporizing and cooking just to name a few. I believe that an educated, well-informed, responsible public should be allowed to make their own decisions.
I fully support your cause and believe those who need it (medical patients) should be the first to have marijuana legally. It is a giant stepping stone toward accepted use and it should be endorsed by those who are ready for a change. Good luck in your struggle! Remember moderation and responsible action are key!
-Nick