Pubdate: Fri, 28 Aug 2009 Source: Province, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2009 Canwest Publishing Inc. Contact: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/theprovince/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476 Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v09/n818/a04.html Author: Bruce Codere HEART ATTACK ENDED MARILYN'S LIFE BUT BUREAUCRACY KILLED HER Marilyn Holsten died of a heart attack in August. She was nearly blind, diabetic, a double amputee. She was a burden. She was taboo. She died because of bureaucratic idiocy and contempt. Marilyn used cannabis to control the pain. Her medical condition caused the pain, but government made it terminal. Her last year on Earth was a living hell because of our irrational legal relationship with cannabis. What is the difference between stabbing someone to death or letting them bleed to death? Fight or flight; fear and loathing. All that was needed was compassion. It seems that was too much to ask. Marilyn was a federal exemptee, legally allowed to consume cannabis. But the rules that govern cannabis are a fraud, and so is the government that made and maintains those rules. So she couldn't legally use cannabis in her own apartment, where she had lived for a decade. Some people came to Marilyn's aid and I applaud them, but as a society we treated her like table scraps and that is a disgrace. Bruce Codere, Fox Creek, Alberta - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr