A COURT BENEATH CONTEMPT

Decision On Medical Marijuana Driven By Fear And Fraud, Not Compassion

When I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma a few years ago, my
primary concern, other than wondering if I'd still be above ground in
a year, was how sick I would get from the drugs. While this was
something I would not know until the drugs actually flowed through my
veins, I did know, without doubt, that I would smoke marijuana, if
need be, to combat the bad side effects. Personally, I didn't give a
hoot about anyone else's opinion, supreme or otherwise.

The recent ruling by the Supreme Court rejecting the right of
patients to grow marijuana was truly astounding, although it should
not have been considering how inconsistent this group has been in its
decisions. I suspect, however, that most people, sick or not sick,
feel exactly as I do - who cares? Who is anyone, whether it is a
judge, senator, priest or doctor, to tell us what we can put in our
bodies to help deal with sickness? And what kind of person thinks
they have the moral authority to do so?

Recently we were all put through the spectacle of the Terri Schiavo
case. Pundits lined up on both sides of the issue, but the right, who
are, for the most part, the people who wage the war against the
medical use of marijuana, kept insisting how inhumane it was for this
woman to be starved to death, that she was being tortured and must be
suffering terribly. Because Terri could not speak for herself, the
assumption that she must be suffering was pure speculation, even
though doctors insisted that starvation is a painless death. Even
months after her death the ad nauseam campaign continues.

Let's move on to the more common scenario of thousands of Americans
writhing in pain on a daily basis. These are living, breathing people
who can clearly articulate what they need to ease their suffering.
They don't ask anything of anyone, other than to leave them alone.
How simple a request is that? Leave them alone. Surely lawmakers and
enforcers have better things to do than kick down the doors of sick
people. No one kicked down the door as Terri Schiavo was being
starved to death in front of the entire world. In fact, the enforcers
prevented people, including her own family, from breaking down the
doors to save her.

This recent decision speaks volumes about the law as well. Most of us
know, or should know, that the majority of laws have nothing to do
with what's right or wrong but rather what's politically expedient. A
law is only as good as the person who makes it, and if the person who
makes it is a jackass, then, ergo, the law is a jackass as well.

Many laws are ridiculous, but the ones regarding how one chooses to
use their own body are self-serving. A government that gives its seal
of approval to euthanasia but outlaws the medicinal use of a drug
that is grown by Mother Nature (aka God) has no moral authority.

The laws regarding marijuana were made by scared little men and
women, whose concern was that someone, somewhere, at sometime was
actually enjoying themselves. Horror of all horrors! But that is
another column for another day. Unfortunately, these same people
continue to rule the day while their fellow Americans thumb their
noses in disgust.

Just as Dorothy found out that the Great Oz was just a scared man
afraid of even a little dog, so too do we as a nation of individuals
need to view our courts and government. They are mere mortals who are
also afraid of the bogeyman, and in this case the bogeyman has a name
- - marijuana. Let's pull back the curtain and expose their fear and
fraud. Just as Dorothy did, people need to realize that that real
power lies within, and nothing scares the bejesus out of the Great Oz
more than that.

Living with a potentially life-threatening illness is really not so
bad. I'm in complete charge of my health and I know that there are
people who are a lot sicker than me. Take those six on the Supreme
Court, for example. Please.