Pubdate: Wed, 09 Dec 2009
Source: News Transcript (NJ)
Copyright: 2009 GMN
Contact:  http://newstranscript.gmnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3409
Author: Greg Bean

IT'S HIGH TIME A MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILL IS PASSED

Most families in this country have lost a loved one to  cancer, and 
while each experience is different, most  share some characteristics, 
especially if the loved one  undergoes chemotherapy.

In my family, my mother and father both died of lung  cancer. My 
mother smoked for almost 50 years, but gave  it up when she was 
diagnosed. My father never could  quit and was sneaking cigarettes 
until a few days  before his death.

Both made decisions early on that they would go out  fighting and 
would subject themselves to any treatment  available, no matter the 
dramatic nature of the side  effects.

My father underwent radiation therapy, and both had  aggressive 
regimens of chemotherapy.

The radiation therapy made my father's hair fall out,  but the 
effects of the chemotherapy on my parents were  even more shocking. 
They lost weight; they were sick  all the time. They were in pain. 
They couldn't eat.

That, perhaps, was the saddest effect of all. People  suffering 
terminal illness who couldn't even enjoy the  comfort of their 
favorite foods in their last months on  earth.

I'm going to confess to a crime here, but I think the  statute of 
limitations has probably run out.

At one point, I bought some marijuana from an old  friend and gave it 
to my father. The resultswere  immediate. It invigorated his 
appetite. It quieted his  nausea, and also made his constant pain 
more bearable. It even improved his mood and his outlook. I made 
the  same offer to my mother, but she declined on the  grounds that 
even if it might help, it was still  illegal and she didn't want to 
spend what little time  she had left in court, or jail.

Since then, I have been a staunch advocate of  legalizing marijuana 
for medial uses. It seemed to me  that people with terminal or 
debilitating illness  should have every option available to them that 
might  lighten their loads. The last thing they should worry  about 
is whether smoking marijuana might be a "gateway"  to the use of 
stronger narcotics.

And the argument that legalizing marijuana for medical  uses sends 
the wrong message to children seemed simply  ludicrous. Even very 
young children know the difference  between medicine and illegal drug 
use. And if we can't  explain that difference to them, then we are 
not doing  a very good job as adults.

New Jersey has been a holdout among states nationwide  that have 
legalized marijuana for medical purposes, but  it looks like it is 
finally about to change -- in part  because of the case of John Ray 
Wilson. Wilson suffers  from an autoimmune disease that affects his 
central  nervous system and is facing felony drug charges  because of 
the pot he used to help him get by. Because  they don't want to see 
this sick man in jail, state  legislators have put a bill to legalize 
medical  marijuana on the fast track.

The state Senate approved the bill recently and it is  expected to 
pass the Assembly as well. It's hoped that  Gov. Jon S. Corzine will 
sign it before he leaves  office in January, but even if he doesn't, 
incoming  Gov. Christopher Christie has said he is generally  supportive.

I say good for them. It's about time.

And kids in this state are pretty smart. They'll  understand what's going on.

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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart