LEAD, FOLLOW OR STAY OUT OF THE WAY

Moving protest Activists to lobby legislators on medical uses for marijuana

The "Journey for Justice" rolled into Tiffin Tuesday afternoon.

The 140 mile trek from Oregon, in northwest Ohio, to Columbus is an attempt
to call attention to those who use marijuana for medical purposes. The
organizers feel legislators have little or no place in determining
doctorpatient care.

The idea for the trip came from Dan Asbury. Asbury is a quadriplegic who
suffers from muscle spasms. He is serving two years' probation for growing
marijuana for personal use.

The protest was organized by Kay Lee of Oregon. Lee suffers from severe
rheumatoid arthritis and uses marijuana to ease the pain of the disease.

Many other participants also use marijuana for medical purposes. Hans
Ashbaucher is HIV positive and uses marijuana as a cheap alternative to
Marinal. Marinal is the synthetic equivalent to THC, the active ingredient
in marijuana.

I was prescribed Marinal but found it more expensive and not nearly as
effective as marijuana," Ashbaucher said.

Elvy Musikka is one of eight people nationwide receiving medical marijuana
through a federal program. She suffers from glaucoma.

"I have traveled across the country and there has been nowhere that i have
not met someone in these circumstances," Musikka said. "Everyone seems to
know of someone who would be helped by the drug."

John Precup, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, has testified before the
Senate and House judiciary subcommittees on the matter. He spoke against
the repeal of Senate Bill 2, which allowed medical usage as a defense in
marijuana possession cases.

Precup had a written recommendation from his doctor for the use of
marijuana to treat nausea connected with MS. According to Precup,
scientific evidence about the benefits of marijuana to the severely ill
were met with rhetoric about recreational use and children.

"What did they think we were doing," Precup said, "telling kids to go out
and get cancer so they could smoke pot?"

People have come from across the country in support of Asbury and Lee. John
Wilson and Tiffany Landreth have traveled from Texas. Wilson, who has been
diagnosed with severe mixed bipolar disease, was happy to be out in
support of the cause.

"It is wrong of the legislature to interfere in the matter," he said.

Tomas Salazar, president of Sandusky County NORML (National organization
for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), said this was not about the recreational
use of marijuana.

"This is about the basic freedom of choice," Salazar said. "It is about the
doctor and patient having the right to choose the treatment that is best
for the patient."

Salazar and the other participants thanked the Tiffin Police Department for
help in navigating through town and thanked all those who came out in
support of the protest.

The group will be speaking this morning at 8 a.m. and leaving at 9 for
Upper Sandusky.