Pubdate: Sun, 27 Sep 2015
Source: Star Beacon, The (Ashtabula, OH)
Copyright: 2015 The Star Beacon
Contact:  http://www.starbeacon.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4021
Author: Justin Dennis

SUPPORTERS OF MARIJUANA MAKE THEIR CASE FOR ISSUE 3

Doctors have projected Tom Clint will only live another four months.

A dentist visit in 1994 revealed leukoplakia in the Ashtabula man's 
mouth, which later progressed into stage 3 oral, nasal and skin 
cancers. In February, doctors said the only way to save his life was 
to remove his tongue, but he chose against a life in which he 
couldn't talk, and hasn't seen an oncologist since.

The 57-year-old upholsterer said he's counting on the natural 
qualities of marijuana to halt, or even reverse, the spread of cancer 
through his body.

"I've decided I've got the rest of my life to live," Clint said. 
"I've held (cancer) back all these years and I believe it's because 
I've smoked marijuana.

"I smoke marijuana, I eat marijuana, I bake with marijuana - I cure 
my cancer with marijuana."

He referenced recent research cited by the National Cancer Institute 
in July on Cancer.gov, which indicates a certain cannabinoid - which 
are the compounds created when marijuana is heated and are naturally 
received by the human body - was found to inhibit tumor growth in lab mice.

"Laboratory and animal studies have shown that cannabinoids may be 
able to kill cancer cells while protecting normal cells," according 
to the NCI. "A laboratory study of delta-9-THC in (liver cancer) 
cells showed that it damaged or killed the cancer cells. ... A 
laboratory study of cannabidiol (a non-intoxicating pot compound) in 
estrogen receptor positive and estrogen receptor negative breast 
cancer cells showed that it caused cancer cell death while having 
little effect on normal breast cells.

"Studies in mouse models of metastatic breast cancer showed that 
cannabinoids may lessen the growth, number and spread of tumors."

Pot has yet to be clinically tested on humans as a cancer treatment, 
according to the NCI, but has been unofficially recognized as a means 
to manage side effects of cancer and cancer therapies like nausea or 
loss of appetite.

For Clint, who said he's ingested marijuana in some form every single 
day since beginning cancer treatments eight months ago, it's not just 
a physical remedy he seeks - it's a release from life's tension. His 
doctors prescribed Oxycodone when he began cancer treatment, but he 
only took it once.

"I smoke (marijuana) to get high - to let the endorphins release in 
my brain and give me a euphoric feeling. The world will just get you 
down to the point where you can't make a move," he said. "It's OK to 
smoke a little pot and unwind at the end of the day.

"It sure makes cutting the grass a whole lot more exciting."

MOVING FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Addyson Benton's medicial marijuana story has become a figurehead for 
state pot reform group ResponsibleOhio, which collected the more than 
320,000 signatures needed to get Issue 3 on the Nov. 3 ballot and has 
poured millions into an pro-Issue 3 advertising campaign that 
includes a TV spot featuring the Benton family.

When she was nine months old, her seizures manifested. Her mother, 
Heather Benton, said the now-3-year-old girl was having up to 100 
seizures per day.

The family has since moved from West Chester, Ohio to Colorado so 
they could legally obtain medical marijuana to curb Addyson's seizures.

Just two days after moving into their rented home, the parents 
started regularly administering a specially made patch infused with 
THCA, a non-psychoactive cannabinoid.

The family told Cincinnati TV station WCPO that Addyson's response to 
medical marijuana shows it can be a legitimized treatment, and 
expressed their support for Issue 3 in their home state.

"It's been fantastic. Her seizures have gone from ... around 100 
noticeable seizures a day - the other day, we counted 19," Heather 
Benton said. "She was walking with ease. ... She always swayed. She'd 
maybe make it 5 feet then she'd fall.

"To think of the hoops that we have to jump through to actually 
obtain this medicine. ... Why is this being withheld from any child 
or any person dealing with seizures?" she said. "Medically, why is 
anybody being denied help for their disease?"

ResponsibleOhio is circulating the hashtag #BringAddyhome.

County law enforcement officials, who came out Friday in solidarity 
against Issue 3's OK of recreational pot use, by and large said they 
wouldn't be opposed to medicinal marijuana in Ohio because it could 
be regulated by the medical community.

County Prosecutor Nick Iarocci said Friday the ResponsibleOhio ads 
are meant to "tug on the heart strings" of voters, but added he's 
wary of Issue 3's recreational use allowance, and the short list of 
private financial backers that stand to get "very rich" if pot 
becomes a new Ohio industry.

"This proposed amendment I'm totally against," Iarocci said. "The 
next proposal - I don't know. Let's wait and see."

County Sheriff William Johnson said he doesn't support recreational 
pot use, but wouldn't be opposed to medical marijuana-specific 
legislation. He said he feels those suffering from chronic pain, or 
those losing their battles with cancer, should be allowed some kind 
of relief "in their later stages."

He said marijuana was widely available when he was in the army 
decades ago. Though he told the Star Beacon last week that he never 
once partook, many of those serving in Vietnam - where marijuana 
plants grew freely - used it regularly as a way to cope with the 
horrors of war.

"Some of them survived by it," he said. "It kept them sane."

Experts have said up to 20 percent of Iraq and Afghan war veterans 
suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a July 
Newsweek report, and Veterans Affairs estimates from 2012 indicated 
an average 22 servicemen commit suicide every day.

A 2013 study on cannabis-related PTSD treatment showed a 75 percent 
reduction in some patients' symptoms, but researchers agree more 
clinical trials are needed. Recently, New Mexico and Maine approved 
marijuana prescription at VA hospitals for PTSD treatment. Before, 
only pharmaceutical antidepressants like Zoloft or Paxil - which 
carry their own side effects - were available.

In May, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approved an 
appropriations bill amendment allowing VA doctors to recommend 
medical marijuana in states that have already legalized it. It now 
goes to the House for consideration.

GATEWAY DRUG

Marijuana supporters like Clint argue the notion that pot is a 
"gateway drug" - something law enforcement officials stressed 
repeatedly Friday - is nothing more than smoke.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which calls for 
more research on the subject, when it comes to brain chemistry pot's 
effects are consistent with other gateway drugs, however the 
organization said "most people who use marijuana do not go on to use 
other, 'harder' substances."

A 1999 study from the National Academy of Sciences Institute of 
Medicine, concluded that, because marijuana usually the first illicit 
drug most people use, "it is indeed a 'gateway' drug. But because 
underage smoking and alcohol use typically precede marijuana use, 
marijuana is not the most common, and is rarely the first, 'gateway' 
to illicit drug use. There is no conclusive evidence that the drug 
effects of marijuana are causally linked to the subsequent abuse of 
other illicit drugs."

Clint, for example, said said he's smoked since he was 19, but never 
developed a methamphetamine or heroin addiction.

"Marijuana is not the menace it's made out to be," he said. "As far 
as a 'gateway drug,' it's the first thing you do outside of a 
cigarette. .. I do know there's problems on the street with drugs, 
but marijuana is not the problem."

His father, a retired 25-year Ashtabula police officer, wasn't happy, 
but he said he's since shared a joint with many friends "from all 
walks of life."

Since his cancer diagnosis, Clint said he's devoted himself to 
spreading awareness about pot's positive applications as a natural remedy.

He said he feels legalization is inevitable - "they can't hide it 
from us any longer."

"Don't criticize it," he said. "Legalize it."

Thoughts on Issue 3

"It's better for (post-traumatic stress disorder) and seizures."

- - Karl Markley of Andover

"I support full recreational use. Prohibition of alcohol proved to be 
more damaging to society than helpful, and I know marijuana 
prohibition will be viewed similarly in hindsight."

- - Lucas McDaniel of Geneva

"If (Issue 3) passes because of the medical marijuana usage - 
certainly, that's a doctor's call and there has to be some kind of 
guidance (for distribution) ... I don't have a problem if a doctor 
(prescribes it)."

- - Ashtabula County Sheriff William Johnson

"If there's a chance that marijuana could provide some relief to a 
child to reduce their seizures ... (law enforcement would not) be 
opposed to it if it was done correctly and controlled."

- - Trumbull-Ashtabula Group Drug Task Force Lt. Jeff Orr
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