The recent decision handed down by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found that although there is not yet a constitutional right to use medical marijuana, such a right might eventually be recognized as fundamental. While this provides a glimmer of hope to patients who might actually live long enough to see our federal government stop treating sick people like criminals, it does absolutely nothing to help my mother.

She died several years ago of cancer. We watched helplessly as she wasted away on the powerful narcotics prescribed to control her pain. The morphine did kill her pain, but it also killed her appetite. She hardly ate those last few weeks.

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