Pubdate: Wed, 23 Apr 2008
Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune (MN)
Copyright: 2008 Star Tribune
Contact: http://www.startribunecompany.com/143
Website: http://www.startribune.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/266
Author: Ron Oveson
Note: Ron Oveson, a former network engineering consultant for 
Computer Sciences Corp., lives in Bloomington.
Cited: Gov. Tim Pawlenty http://www.governor.state.mn.us/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Tim+Pawlenty
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal)

CRIMINALLY ILL

I've been heartened to follow the progress of the medical marijuana 
bill in the Legislature but also disappointed to hear that Gov. Tim 
Pawlenty has threatened to veto it. Medical marijuana could make an 
enormous difference to seriously ill patients in Minnesota -- patients like me.

Since 1989, I've been fighting a rare disorder called 
neurosarcoidosis, which causes my body to produce antibodies to my 
own tissues, including my spinal cord and brain. My symptoms are 
severe and have included sporadic paralysis in my legs and left arm; 
nausea and vomiting; extreme pain in my extremities, and muscle 
spasms, some of which cause me to freeze in bizarre positions because 
opposing muscles contract simultaneously.

Physicians at the Mayo Clinic discovered that this disease could be 
controlled by suppressing my immune system. The sporadic paralysis 
I'd experienced abated and, after months of physical therapy, I was 
able to walk again. But that was only the first of many battles I 
would fight as the disease went from one organ or system to another, 
damaging every one.

In the spring of 2001, the disease began to affect my thyroid gland. 
My heart rate increased dramatically, and my digestive system sped 
up, moving food through my system so fast it was largely undigested. 
My body's reaction was to violently expel any food I attempted to 
eat. I spent weeks in the hospital, losing about 70 of my 190 pounds. 
We tried dozens of drugs, to no avail.

Finally, my doctor suggested I try marijuana. He felt that even a 
small dose could relieve my nausea and potentially enable me to gain 
back some of my weight.

I couldn't imagine how to obtain marijuana. The worst legal offense 
I've ever committed was speeding when I was in college. Was I 
supposed to go downtown to some alley in the middle of the night and 
just stand there, hoping not to get shot?

Eventually, I found a friend who was able to acquire some. I was 
absolutely amazed at the result.

It was unlike any of the other drugs my doctor had prescribed. Not 
only did it stop my nausea, but it enabled me to eat a meal for the 
first time in months.

The fact that I was breaking the law was deeply troubling, however. 
In my family, we simply don't commit crimes.

Luckily, my thyroid gland eventually returned to normal, and I was 
able to discontinue using marijuana, which was a relief. I hated the 
whole process of dealing with an illegal drug.

The thyroid problems have returned several times, and I've had only 
the occasional ability to obtain marijuana. When I had it, I could 
live a functional life. When I didn't, I had to use the prescription 
drugs, which basically reduced my nausea by making me sleep all the 
time. How absurd that I had to make myself nearly comatose in order 
to get relief!

I desperately need medical marijuana to be an option, but I'm 
unwilling to move to any of the 12 medical marijuana states. I love 
Minnesota. It's my home. I feel that access to medical marijuana 
should be safe and controlled, and that marijuana should be available 
only to patients with documented symptoms. And that's exactly what 
the Minnesota legislation proposes.

It's been two years since I used marijuana, because I simply can't 
stand to participate in the criminal market. I have to be at my wit's 
end -- miserable to the point where my upbringing and my law-abiding 
personality are trumped by my agony. No one should be forced into 
that position.

The House should pass the bill, and Gov. Pawlenty should sign it into 
law. I'm not the only Minnesotan counting on them to do the right thing.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Richard Lake