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 - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom