Pubdate: Tue, 03 Feb 2015
Source: Parksville Qualicum Beach News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2015 Black Press
Contact:  http://www.pqbnews.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1361
Author: Haley Sudlow

SUPPORT MEDICAL MARIJUANA

What is wrong with using marijuana? Nothing.

It is a person's freedom to choose to smoke tobacco, drink alcohol or
eat sugar. These highly-addictive items cause a myriad of expensive
health and social problems, but are legal. Two are heavily taxed by
the government.

Marijuana, while safer, remains illegal in Canada. In 1972, the
national commission of Marijuana and Drug Abuse found that marijuana
isn't entirely safe, but its dangers have been overstated.
Twenty-three U.S. states and D.C. have enacted laws to legalize
medical marijuana.

In 2014, the Canadian government changed the law, no longer allowing
medicinal users to grow their own (almost free), forcing the purchase
from a pricier Health Canada-approved grower ($5-12 per gram). People
living with disabilities/illness are less able to afford this more
expensive (market price?) medical marijuana.

The Phoenix Pain Management Society offers medical marijuana by
donation, with a prescription.

Marijuana has been credited as effective treatment for many ailments,
such as: cancer effects (pain, anorexia, nausea, etc.), MS, Crohn's
disease, glaucoma, hypertension, chronic pain and epilepsy. Studies
show many other health benefits, limited here by space.

Marijuana is known as a recreational drug, but it has many positive
uses in health care. In 2010, 925 million people were hungry,
struggling to get food let alone health care. Marijuana is a
fast-growing plant able to provide all these health benefits - why not
use it? Keep it in the hands of the people and out of the
pharmaceutical realm. It is an affordable treatment that without free
access many of those in need can not afford.

Legalize it. Allow folks to use it as necessary. I stand beside
Phoenix strongly, as it is life or death for some.

Haley Sudlow Parksville
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MAP posted-by: Matt