Both of these individuals claim that marijuana provides them with relief from the symptoms of MS but they are treated as criminals by our justice system. Is it any wonder that MS sufferers must turn to black-marketeers for medicine in light of the callous treatment afforded them by the health system? Would you want your mother to be treated this way? Kelly T. Conlon (The law likely lags behind the public will on this issue.) - --- Checked-by: Don Beck [end]
Dr. Eduardo Bruera, in discussing the medicinal uses of marijuana, stated there are now "better and legal drugs on the market for fighting nausea," but also said patients prefer pot for its "relaxing side effects." Although the trade names of these "better and legal" drugs were not mentioned, I believe Dr. Bruera may be referring to the drug Marinol, which is a synthetic version of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. I am aquainted with several users of medicinal marijuana, and none of them prefer to expose themselves to criminal prosecution simply because marijuana "relaxes them." One reason people turn to cannabis is the high cost of perscription drugs. This is especially true of HIV patients, who must budget the costs of the drugs used in the "AIDS cocktail." Another reason is that many people suffering from severe nausea are unable to swallow pills without immediately regurgitating them. Thus, any reference to drugs that are superior to cannabis without addressing the drawbacks in using this conventional (read "legal") therapy is fatuous. Kelly T. Conlon Hamilton ON [end]
Re: "Peace looms in the War on Pot" (Aug 18). Dr. Eduardo Bruera, in discussing the medicinal uses of marijuana, stated there are now "better and legal drugs on the market for fighting nausea," but also said patients prefer pot for its "relaxing side effects." Although the trade names of these "better and legal" drugs were not mentioned, I believe Dr. Bruera may be referring to the drug Marinol, which is a synthetic version of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. [continues 105 words]
I don't claim to be an expert in medical treatment, but I can think of at least two common-sense reasons why: (1) Marinol is an expensive drug, and not every patient can afford it. The natural form of the drug is as cheap and easy to grow as corn. (2) Marinol is taken in oral form, which some patients cannot tolerate because of their symptoms. This should be obvious to anyone who has the misfortune of enduring the painful nausea induced by cancer chemotherapy. [continues 62 words]
Kelly T. Conlon Hamilton, Ont. [end]
To the editor: I noted that Peter March's Aug. 11 column on the medicinal uses of marijuana arrived to us on the same day that British Columbia's Attorney General Ujjal Dosanjh called for still more mandatory minimum sentences for convicted drug traffickers, including, presumably, traffickers in the evil weed. Is this what Mr. Dosanjh has in mind for AIDS patients like Wilson Hodder? Kelly T. Conlon Hamilton, Ont. Via the Internet ___________________________________ Cannabis cuts drug use To the editor: I read Peter March's column with interest because, like Wilson Hodder, I use cannabis for medicinal purposes. I am quite frustrated by the fact that my doctor is unable to prescribe this drug for me, as is she. I am prescribed Tylenol 3s, as codeine is the lowest level analgesic I can be given, due to interactions most painkillers have with a drug I must take for the rest of my life. After eight years, Tylenol is losing effect as a painkiller on me, and having increasingly powerful sideeffects. The next lowest painkiller that I can be safely given is demerol, which is too potent to allow for daytoday functioning. I am also using prescription muscle relaxants This has been going on for years now, and for the past year I have been forced to use cannabis more and more, despite the cost of the drug, and more importantly, the risk of being sold cannabis laced with another drug. If I were able to get it through prescription, I wouldn't have to worry about the problem, which, given my health, is not a small risk or fear. It should be noted that cannabis supplements and replaces both the painkiller and muscle relaxants. When I have steady access, my usage of the prescription drugs drops by about 80 per cent. I feel pushed into a corner by the system in regards to a drug that is less harmful to me than the ones prescribed by my doctor, which she has also noted. I will be forced to use certain medications for the rest of my life, so I want to take the most costeffective in terms of the damages and gains for my body medications available. I can easily get a prescription for Valium, codeine, demerol, and the like, but not cannabis. And cannabis is less destructive, addictive, and disruptive than the drugs I just mentioned. Think about it. And also think about the savings effective treatment means to the healthcare system. David Charles Macdonald Beaver Bank, N.S. Via the Internet [continues 193 words]
To the best of my knowledge, it is not yet a crime in this country to protest unjust laws. It is not a crime to speak one's mind in public, and it is not a crime to print letters in newspapers calling for an overhaul of our criminal justice system. Not only does March deserve to speak his mind concerning what he considers to be an unjust law, he ought to be congratulated. For the record, I hate Canada's drug laws. The sooner they are abolished, the better. If saying so make me a criminal, I would be proud to stand in the same jail as my fellow criminal, Peter March. Kelly T. Conlon Hamilton Ont. Via the Internet [end]
I have thoroughly enjoyed the series of letters concerning the status of cannabis and hemp (May 30 and June 6, 10 and 16). However, Robbie Anderman's claim of an industrial conspiracy to outlaw cannabis, while making for interesting reading, is nothing but an urban myth that was popularized several years ago by the California writer Jack Herer. The prohibition of cannabis started much earlier, at the state level, in the southwestern United States, beginning with Utah in 1914. The first laws criminalizing cannabis were passed out of race hatred and hostility towards migrant Mexican farm labourers who smoked cannabis, much as the first laws criminalizing opium were passed in order to harass newly arrived migrant workers from China. Kelly T. Conlon Hamilton [end]
I have some thoughts regarding your article on drugs in high schools. Following the use of drug-sniffing dogs to seach lockers, Sgt. Brad Brand of the Halton police thinks the next logical step is to take them into the classroom. He is either foolish, or willfully dishonest. He does not seem to think that Halton-area high schol students should have a reasonable expectation of privacy; so it seems to me that the next logical step is to conduct random, warrantless searches of the students' bedrooms. [continues 63 words]
I have some thoughts regarding your article on drugs in high schools. Following the use of drugsniffing dogs to seach lockers, Sgt. Brad Brand of the Halton police thinks the next logical step is to take them into the classroom. He is either foolish, or willfully dishonest. He does not seem to think that Haltonarea high schol students should have a reasonable expectation of privacy; so it seems to me that the next logical step is to conduct random, warrantless searches of the students' bedrooms. [continues 63 words]
Had politicians acted on the recommendations of the LeDain commission more than 20 years ago, the enormous amount of money we now spend chasing down pot smokers could be used to chase down real criminals. Kelly T. Conlon Hamilton [end]
Hopefully, members of the Winnipeg Police Services have taken the time to watch the ABC News special "Pot of Gold" hosted by Peter Jennings, which was aired Thursday night. This problem is not confined to Winnipeg. The rapid growth of indoor hydroponics operations isn't terribly astonishing when you think about the economics of growing the stuff; one ounce of marijuana will fetch about $300.00 on the street, tax free. Whoever suggested that money doesn't grow on trees was obviously looking at the wrong tree. [continues 58 words]
