Pubdate: Wed, 25 Oct 2000
Source: Anchorage Daily News (AK)
Copyright: 2000 The Anchorage Daily News
Contact:  http://www.adn.com/
Author: Julie Grondahl

POT HELPS WITH EPILEPSY

I have chronic retractable epilepsy, and over the past 28 years I've tried 
several pharmaceutical drugs. The only medicine that worked for me was 
Marinol, synthetic marijuana, which I got a clean EEG on and did not have 
anywhere near the number of seizures I have now. I was taken off of it by a 
doctor for political reasons. One, the drug has not been approved for 
epilepsy yet. Two, the FDA. Three, the doctor was worried about her license 
and reputation.

Some of the medicines doctors prescribe for me have side effects like 
falling, not being able to get up by myself, lethargy, convulsions, 
drowsiness, depression, appetite loss, reported sudden deaths and comas. 
These medicines do not control my seizures, and I have to be supervised and 
cannot work because of the likelihood of injury from seizures.

The war on drugs against marijuana has killed people, and it is a war 
against ill people who medically benefit from it. To try to scare people 
with lies is dangerous because when people find out they have been lied to 
about marijuana, they will go on to try other things to see if they have 
been lied to about them too.

I suggest people study marijuana and its uses (it controls seizures, muscle 
spasms, pain, arthritis, migraine headaches, appetite loss, cancer, AIDS, 
insomnia, stress management, hyperactivity, asthma, leukemia, glaucoma and 
so on) to help them decide on Proposition 5.

- -- Julie Grondahl

Willow
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