http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Politics/ap20021130_307.html

Will medical marijuana ever become wodely accepted??? Should marijuana be an option for medical use & treatment???

Should it be? Of course it should. I had
a friend who was dying
of cancer and smoking
a reefer was THE only
thing that he could find that would give him a temporary reprieve from the constant nausea caused
by the pain-killing drugs.

Will it be?
Only if (someday) the
general public are awaken to the fact that there are many attributes of this plant and finally put to bed all of the stupid myths so well
encapsulated in "Reefer
Madness". I don't
think that I'll live to
see though.

My brother was prescribed THC while dying of cancer. He said it helped with the nausea. I think there's a lot of this going on, quietly, just not being talked about.

Reminds me of the old story of the cop that took some MJ to the high school to teach the kids how to recognize it, etc. They all crowded around, asking questions. When all the questions were answered kids and MJ had vanished. That belongs in the "What planet are you from?" category.

Catty

THC, the active chemical in MJ IS available by presciption as Marinol. Like any oral drug it takes time to work compared to smoking. Digestion weakens the effect. Smoking is instant. The patient controls the dosage and does not have to wait for relief.

Friends with cancer and/or AIDS found MJ beneficial for pain, nausea and attitude readjustment when all else failed. THC as Marinol took too long and did not deliver the desired effects, particularly mild euphoria.

Like any drug there are side effects: paranoia, short-term memory loss, moroseness etc. The use of MJ should be between doctor and patient after evaluating the risks. Abuse of any drug is possible.

A former friend and emminent urologist lost his license due to drugs. He started by smoking MJ recreationally, then proceeded to other drugs before performing surgery. His surgeries seemed better to him than they were for the patients who he damaged through sloppiness. Yes, Virginia, there are slippery slopes. He now teaches drug rehab.

In this case, and so many more, the Golden
Mean would have been very appropriate.