Pubdate: Fri, 24 Sep 1999
Date: 09/24/1999
Source: USA Today (US)
Author: Bryan Hagood
Related: Is Congress More Concerned With Posturing Than Democracy?
http://www.mapinc.org/alert/0131.html

A Personal Testimony

My father died of cancer.  The end of his life was quite painful, but
he wanted to, and did, spend every last day that he could on this
Earth with his loved ones.

One major factor that contributed to his prolonged life was marijuana.
Marijuana enabled him to fight off the nausea from the chemotherapy,
making it easier to keep down his food. My dad was lucky that one of
his physicians was compassionate enough to recommend marijuana in the
first place-or he most likely would have died sooner.

There are untold numbers of people in this country who suffer the
effects of chemotherapy, glaucoma and the side effects of drugs used
to treat AIDS. These people could benefit from the positive effects of
marijuana.

Rep. Bob Barr, R-GA, was quoted as say it would send a "terrible
message" to America's young people if we allowed licensed physicians
to prescribe medication that, in their professional opinion, would
benefit a patient's health. I truly hope that Barr never lives through
the pain my father did, or the dangers and degradations that my family
endured to acquire the best medicine for the treatment of a loved one.

Bryan Hagood
Greenville, SC