Pubdate: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 Source: View Magazine (Hamilton, CN ON) Copyright: 2004 View Magazine Contact: http://www.viewmag.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2393 Author: Marie Therrien & Logic 4u Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmjcn.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal - Canada) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?232 (Chronic Pain) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) POT: IT'S ABOUT FREEDOM Dear Editor, We love your newspaper. We enjoy the articles from the first page to the last page. We are brothers and sisters who work towards the decriminalization laws in Canada. It's high time we have the right to use the natural medical herb without the worry of getting busted. After all, it is just an herb, like Ginko Biloba, St. John's Wort, and others that have natural healing properties, and have been used for centuries across the world. It hardly seems fair that we have the right to say yes/no to life support, yes/no to morphine, demerol, percodan, percacet and other pharmaceutical drugs, and yet marijuana users are criminals. This is not right. My sister and I have a long list of medical problems, as do many of our friends, and a little weed just helps take the edge off a hard day coping with the pain. We had a friend who couldn't keep her hands off her pain pills, she was so uncomfortable. Yet by smoking a joint, she could bear the pain which her terminal illness caused her. In today's medicine and technology, it's hard to believe that scientists cannot match the natural herb, which is not as harmful as man-made substances. We have a chronic pain illness which requires us to take medications that we just cannot handle because of the side effects. Herb is the natural answer. We as Canadian brothers and sisters need to stand united for the right to choose this as a medical treatment or to use this as a relaxer. This is the best form of relief from depression to pain suppressant and we should all fight for the use of the herb. The dictionary's definition of the word "herb" describes it as an aromatic plant that is used for flavouring in cookery, and in medicine. What kind of freedom did our fathers and grandfathers go to war for? Why did so many die? What kind of rights do we have? Every Canadian should have the choice whether they want to use it or not. What is the song all about when we sing: God Keep Canada Free? Marie Therrien & Logic 4u - ---