Orange County Register letters@link.freedom.com
http://www.ocregister.com/
May 10,1998
By Fred Hermon - Santa Ana, Calif.
MARIJUANA LAWS MEAN LITTLE TO THE SUFFERING
It saddens me to reads of attitudes toward medical marijuana such as were expressed in
Todd Chisam’s "Clever marijuana ruse" letter on April 30. When cancer
strikes someone close to you, as was the case with my mother, you’d, if need be,
enter the gates of Hell to find a substance to lessen the victims suffering.
At that point,law means nothing. Threats of arrest go unheeded. The whole
"system" of drug laws, prevention, politics and such become barriers to easing
the pain of that person you love so much.
My mother was dying of breast cancer. She had been cut to pieces
by surgeons, her breasts gone, baldheaded from radiation treatments,vomiting from
chemotherapy sessions, six days without being able to eat a bite of food or sip a
teaspoonful of water.
In desperation, I gave her a small amount of marijuana. Her vomiting stopped
immediately. She ate like a horse for ten hours straight. The next morning she was out of
bed and working in her garden.
The awful suffering ended, thanks to marijuana. The substance gave her six months more
of life. In the end she died in her own bed at home, without pain.
Tell me, all you oh-so-cleaver posturing politicians, police chiefs or whatever, what
is your answer? What would you have families like mine do in cases such as ours? Maybe
salute the flag while our loved ones scream in pain?
Folks, when you’ve lived through what my family has,
you’ll look at the medical marijuana issue in a new light. It’ll change your
politics, I guarantee you. You’ll see through the bigwigs out there who are using the
issue to win re-election and retain their cushy government jobs.
Supported