For those fighting cancer, let alone other diseases for the moment, here are some of the documented potential benefits of medical marijuana: reduction of nausea related to treatment (especially chemotherapy); slowing of tumor growth in the lungs, breasts and brain; alleviation of anxiety; reduction of pain, especially in the abdomen; increased appetite; alleviation of muscle pain and spasms.
Now think of the numerous other diseases and chronic conditions for which medical marijuana could potentially be useful: glaucoma, arthritis, migraine headaches, effects of Alzheimer’s, ADD & ADHD, conditions which cause seizures, multiple sclerosis.
Are there negatives to the use of marijuana? Of course, as there are with the use of any drug. These can be dealt with, exactly as they are with every other drug.
Given that, will someone, please, answer these questions for me:
- Why is medical marijuana such an issue for some?
- Why isn’t it as readily available as, say, my blood pressure medicine?
- Why does our government treat medical marijuana dispensaries like streetcorner drug dealers (e.g., armed raids, etc.)?
A personal disclosure here: my dad died after fighting cancer for almost three years. It was a hard fight he fought bravely, but over the course of which, make no mistake, he suffered. Watching him go through the precipitous weight loss, the lack of appetite and the pain was itself horrible. Every so often, I would offer to get my dad marijuana but he wouldn’t hear of it, because marijuana was illegal. My dad suffered because he was the type of person, like many of his generation, who preferred suffering to breaking the law. And it kills me to this day that he suffered so needlessly.
We need to remove legal barriers; we have the means to alleviate suffering and it is downright immoral that we aren’t using it.
Speaking Plainly 