Pubdate: Thu, 23 May 2002
Source: National Post (Canada)
Copyright: 2002 Southam Inc.
Contact:  http://www.nationalpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/286
Forum: http://forums.canada.com/+AH4-nationalpost
Author: Bruce Mirken
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada)

MARIJUANA HELPED GOULD

The recent wave of obituaries for the brilliant scientist and author 
Stephen Jay Gould commonly left out a significant fact: Gould was a 
medical marijuana user.

Diagnosed with a particularly lethal form of cancer in 1982 and given 
eight months to live, he survived 20 years -- and endured the horrors 
of chemotherapy thanks to medical marijuana. While other drugs failed 
to curb the nausea from the treatment, he wrote, marijuana "worked 
like a charm." He added, "It is beyond my comprehension that any 
humane person would withhold such a beneficial substance from people 
in such great need."

Gould went on to testify in the 1998 Canadian court case that 
eventually resulted in the establishment of the Canadian medical 
marijuana program.

What a shame the leaders of the United States -- as addicted to "war 
on drugs" rhetoric as they are allergic to facts -- failed to consult 
this great scientist before declaring war on the medical use of 
marijuana.

Bruce Mirken, director of communications, Marijuana Policy Project,
Washington, D.C.
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