Pubdate: Sun, 12 Sep 2004
Source: Metrowest Daily News (MA)
Copyright: 2004 MetroWest Daily News
Contact:  http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/619
Author: Michele Peloquin
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal)

MARIJUANA SERVES MEDICINAL PURPOSE

Do we really get to vote on marijuana questions in November?

I think it should be legalized, but I know  that will not happen for
a long time. I would fight very hard to legalize it for  people with
medical problems.

My brother passed away this past June from  leukemia, which he had
for 18 months. He smoked pot. After his first round of  chemo, he lost
a lot of weight and he had four to six weeks at home before he  went
back for more chemo. When he went back to the hospital for more chemo,
the  nurse decided to check his weight (they estimate how much weight
he should have  gained while being home).

Thank God she did this because he had gained  about 30 lbs. being
home, thanks to smoking pot. The mixture of chemo goes by  the weight
of the person, so the hospital had to have the lab redo his chemo. 
You need to gain weight because you lose so much during chemo. If he
hadn't  smoked pot, he would not have gained as much and he would have
been very fragile  before the next round. Chemo takes such a toll on
the body that he would have  gotten much sicker without the weight
gain.

Family and friends would illegally buy pot  for him, myself included.
We knew it was illegal to buy but we were helping my  brother and so
what if I got caught? I would have done it again and again for my 
brother. I respect the laws but not this one! I would buy for anyone
who needed  it to get through the chemo.

I've seen first-hand how much it helped my  brother. His doctors knew
he smoked pot. They told him that if it were legal,  they would tell
their patients to smoke it. About 50 percent of patients with 
leukemia smoke it. I feel badly for the other 50 that don't just
because it's  illegal.

What would it take for this to pass, to have  the people that stop it
from passing have one of their family members or  themselves be
seriously ill? Would they let their family member suffer instead  of
helping?

Power to the people who are trying to get  this law passed! If I can
help in any way, I will.

Michele Peloquin
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin