EVIDENCE IS IN, BUT NO CHANGE IN MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAWS

I was born and raised in California. I have been a Vacaville resident
for seven years. Readers may have seen me around town, with my dog
and my cane, or using the mechanical carts in the supermarket. I am a
chronic pain patient and a medical cannabis patient.

My brother has inflammatory arthritis; he's a patient too. My
63-year-old mother, with arthritis and IBS and bone spurs, is one
too. We're used to being disparaged as "junkies" and "criminals" by
our neighbors, and having to drive to Oakland just to get our
medicine because Solano County refuses to acknowledge the will of the
people and obey state law. We've adjusted to all that. We know a lot
of people just don't understand because they've never been where we
are. We've just been waiting for science to bear us out.

So I was overjoyed when I read about Dr. D. I. Abrams' study,
published in the journal Neurology, which conclusively demonstrates
that smoked cannabis (marijuana) effectively reduces chronic
neuropathic pain as well as acute pain. This study illustrates that
medical cannabis provides much-needed relief from suffering for
people living with HIV/AIDS and other disorders that cause neuropathic pain.

I thought, "Finally, they've proved what I've been saying all along
from my own experience."

And what changed? Did the federal government stop persecuting medical
cannabis patients and providers? Did the federal government stop
barring medical cannabis research while hypocritically claiming that
there isn't enough research to prove its medical value? Did Congress
even hold oversight hearings to investigate why federal agencies have
resisted full implementation of the Institute of Medicine's 1999
recommendations?

No. None of these things happened.

You know a medical cannabis patient. A family member, a friend,
perhaps a co-worker. Please help us. At least don't condemn us. It's
hard to be disabled in this country these days.

Jack Romero

Vacaville