Pubdate: Wed, 14 Jan 2015
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Copyright: 2015 The Associated Press
Contact:  http://www.denverpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122

Obituary

MAN WHO FOUGHT TO USE POT OIL

Iowa Man Says Self- Treatment Prolonged Life.

Long Grove, Iowa (AP) - An Iowa man who was convicted late last year 
of growing marijuana that he used to treat his rare form of cancer has died.

Benton Mackenzie, 49, died Monday at his home near Davenport, his 
mother, Dottie, confirmed Tuesday.

He had been growing marijuana to create cannabis oil that he consumed 
and applied to tumors caused by angiosarcoma, a rare cancer of the 
blood vessels that was diagnosed seven years ago.

Mackenzie said his self-treatment from the oil had prolonged his life 
and made some of the skin lesions disappear.

Little research has been conducted on the effect of cannabis oil on 
this form of cancer, although doctors don't discredit Mackenzie's 
claims. But Iowa allows medical marijuana to be used to treat 
intractable epilepsy only, meaning further research of the drug's 
benefits is obstructed in the state.

"He didn't ask for this fight," Dottie Mackenzie said. "It came to him."

Benton Mackenzie and his wife, Loretta, were charged with conspiring 
to grow marijuana after a June 2013 raid of their home in which 
authorities found 71 marijuana plants, growing equipment and drug 
paraphernalia. Their son, Cody, was charged and convicted of drug 
possession when police found a small amount of marijuana in his room.

Benton Mackenzie was sentenced in September to three years of 
probation, and his wife and son also received probation.

Following his sentence, Benton Mackenzie was warned to spend the 
remainder of his life marijuana-free to meet the terms of his 
probation and avoid being sent to prison.

The Quad- City Times reported that Mackenzie's parents faced 
misdemeanor charges in the case of hosting a drug house, but the 
charges eventually were dropped.

Dottie Mackenzie told the newspaper she hopes her daughter-in-law and 
grandson also will be shown leniency as they move forward with appeals.
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