Pubdate: Thu, 25 Apr 2002
Source: Missoula Independent (MT)
Copyright: 2002 Missoula Independent
Contact: http://www.everyweek.com/News/Letters/LetterTo.asp
Website: http://www.everyweek.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1534

A MISSOULA WOMAN LAUNCHES A HUNGER STRIKE FOR MEDICINAL CANNABIS

Yes I cannabis! How tragic that as the 21st century's war against 
prohibition rages on, the foot soldiers on the front lines are among 
society's most debilitated souls. We are, of course, talking about the 
battle to allow doctors to legally prescribe cannabis to their patients as 
a legitimate treatment option, especially when all other avenues for relief 
have failed.

Now, before you get yourself all knotted up in a self-righteous huff and 
pound out irate letters about how legalizing medical cannabis is the 
foot-in-the-door for full-scale marijuana legalization, ask yourself how 
many TV commercials you've seen lately for prescription pharmaceuticals 
that tell you to "ask your doctor if [insert drug here] is right for you" 
So we're not talking about your average Missoulian who wants to pull a few 
bong hits before giggling his way through the latest episode of "The 
Simpsons." We're talking about real patients with serious symptoms, for 
many of whom there literally are no other treatment options.

Such is the case here in Missoula, where one woman has decided to literally 
put her life on the line to demonstrate how crucial medical marijuana is 
for her health and well-being -- and she's willing to starve herself to 
prove it.

Robin Prosser is a 45-year-old mother in Missoula who has suffered for 
years from a condition that doesn't even have a name. In Chicago, a team of 
doctors told her that her illness is probably one of 150 different 
immunosuppressive illnesses, similar to Lupus. Prosser can't go out in the 
sun anymore and suffers from other symptoms similar to multiple sclerosis 
with progressive neurological deterioration. "We just treat the symptoms as 
we can, but most of the time I know now that there's nothing they can do," 
she says. Her doctors have tried dozens of medications, therapies and 
treatments, but as Prosser's body grows increasingly sensitive to chemical 
interference, they have found no medication that alleviates her symptoms.

None, that is, except cannabis. Prosser, like tens of thousands of other 
patients across the country, has discovered that smoking cannabis relieves 
her pain, nausea, stops the spasms in her muscles, her bronchi, her heart 
and intestines, and gives her an appetite.

But as of April 20, Prosser has given up all food and will continue her 
hunger strike until the government recognizes her need to grow her own 
cannabis. She says she's never had a run-in with the law and doesn't want 
to buy or grow marijuana illegally for fear of going to jail and losing her 
daughter. For a time, she considered moving to another country that has 
more progressive cannabis laws, but decided against it. (Last year Canada 
legalized the use of cannabis as medicine and is now funding research on 
its healthful effects. Likewise, Great Britain is also considering 
legalizing medical marijuana use.

"This is 2002. I am not a criminal," she says. "I won't be forced to leave 
my homeland to find more hospitable countries where I would be allowed to 
have what I need."

Prosser's progress is being monitored by several physicians, including Dr. 
Ethan Russo, one of the nation's foremost experts on the therapeutic uses 
of cannabis. Prosser says she's feeling pretty energized and hasn't felt 
lightheaded or dizzy since starting her hunger strike. As of press time, 
she had lost 11 lbs. How long will her hunger strike last? "For as long as 
it takes," she says.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens