[420 Girl]

President Obama has changed the policy that allows federal prosecutors to pursue those who sell and use medical marijuana, when the state laws permit. At present, only 14 U. S. states have legalized the medical use of marijuana - which means you need a prescription for it, and access to a pharmacy certified to dispense it. This does not relax the laws governing recreational use of pot, so don't head out to your greenhouse and start harvesting a little extra weed to sell, even in a state where medical marijuana is legal. The new policy on pot simply says that federal prosecutors should stop targeting people who use or sell medical marijuana, when it is done so within the boundaries of state laws.

Thirty years ago, when my husband's mother was taking some experimental chemotherapy for a relapse of breast cancer, she was very ill with side effects. There were not many premedications to help ward off nausea and vomiting back then, but there were drugs that could be taken after these symptoms began. She wanted to live, to be there for her newly-engaged daughter, her newly-wed son, her devoted husband, and her elderly mother. Already petite and slender, she lost weight from side effects and loss of appetite, and said that one of the drugs she was given impaired her perception of colors. The world seemed to look black and white, itself a hard thing for an artist like her to bear, so she stopped taking that drug. But her other side effects continued as she soldiered on, making as little complaint as possible. Her husband said admiringly, "She's tough!" But a couple of her wilder nephews thought they could help. They put out the word that a little marijuana was needed, and the next time they visited her, they hustled into her room and closed the door. She accepted some home-made marijuana cigarettes as graciously as she could and promised to try it. Later, she said that it didn't help her side effects, but was fun while it lasted. She finished chemotherapy and used her last six months doing things that were very important to her - spending time with loved ones. After she died, just before her 50th birthday, we found some leftover marijuana in a jacket pocket - I don't remember how it was disposed of - but it gave us a chuckle. My mother-in-law was a beautiful, elegant, well-mannered educator and artist, and the thought of her lighting up a curled paper of pot doesn't seem to go with my image of her.

As for her being caught and prosecuted, can you see the cops coming in and busting a 90-pound sick, bald, night-gown swathed breast cancer patient? Her husband was in the Police Reserves, so perhaps he could have gotten some leniency for her. But if she had been arrested, they would have had to take her down to the cop shop on a gurney. That would not have made the local police look very good, now would it?
For some cancer patients, medical marijuana may be a real blessing. For others it may seem like a legal loophole for addicts to claim a medical necessity. I never wanted to try it, myself. How do you feel about medical marijuana? Leave a comment or take a poll to voice your opinion. Is it still the "evil weed" - or is it time for a change, at least for medical marijuana?


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