USING MARIJUANA AS MEDICINE

FREEPORT - Mustering what strength he had left, Mike Lindey stepped onto the
scale. Looking toward his feet, his stomach churned with nausea and his mind
swirled with despair. He had lost another three pounds.

What would have been a success story for most Weight Watchers' clientele was
certainly a defeat for the once-robust 62-year-old man. He had lost 40
pounds in only a matter of a few months. His secret? The toxic levels of
chemotherapy treatment that was battling the bladder cancer he had been
diagnosed with back in January 1995.

The Cornell graduate, father of three and veterinarian from Freeport had
lost more than weight. He had lost his pride, dignity and determination to
live. In his first of two, three-month cycles of chemotherapy, Lindey was
certain he wouldn't survive the second stage. "I felt that the cure would
not be something I would survive if I went on to the required second
three-month cycle," said Lindey.

But when all the medication had failed Lindey and he thought he had reached
a dead-end, he found another avenue.

"One day my daughter found me huddled in a ball on the floor. The discomfort
was overwhelming," said Lindey. "I had hit rock bottom and was giving up.
But days later I was given another option that I believe saved my life." At
the insistence of friends and family, Lindey said, he met with a group of
people who were offering an alternative.

It was marijuana.

"People came to my house and said they would help me if I wanted. They said
they could get me on something or they could leave me alone," said Lindey.
"Nothing else was working, so I tried it."

Lindey said he used the marijuana, or pot, as a way to relieve the
discomfort, nausea and depression accompanying his chemotherapy, and it made
a huge difference. "Two puffs twice a day was all I had. But I experienced
an immediate and beneficial effect," said Lindey. "Primarily, I was relieved
of the nausea and depression, and as a result was able to eat and retain
enough food to end the weight loss."

Lindey said he felt that thanks to the marijuana, he had a new lease on
life. "My interest in life returned and I took a more active role in my
maintenance and rehabilitation."

His second three-month cycle went by much easier with the help of the
marijuana, he said. By the end of 1996, Lindey was on the road to recovery.

Now three years in remission, Mike Lindey is cancer-free. He also is
marijuana-free. "I had never smoked marijuana before I was diagnosed with
cancer and I haven't craved it since," said Lindey. "I didn't need to smoke
much during my treatment. I took two puffs and put it out. Each time a great
weight was lifted from my body, the restlessness ceased and I was able to
sleep. That was unthinkable before." Lindey has become a supporter, advocate
and "poster boy" for The Maine Medical Marijuana Initiative.

On the Nov. 2 statewide ballot is a referendum question that, if approved by
a majority of voters, would legalize the use of marijuana for medicinal
purposes. The referendum will ask voters if they want to "allow patients
with specific illnesses to grow and use small amounts of marijuana for
treatment, as long as such use is approved by a doctor?" A "yes" vote would
allow the medicinal use of marijuana; a "no" vote would oppose it.

Approval of the referendum would implement a law allowing Mainers to possess
"a usable amount of marijuana for medical use" if a physician believes that
it would help a patient suffering from any of the specific illnesses or
ailments spelled out in the measure.

The ailments include persistent nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite or
"wasting syndrome" from AIDS or cancer treatments; glaucoma; seizures from a
chronic disease; and muscle spasms from a chronic disease.

The law would define a usable amount of marijuana as 1.25 ounces of
harvested marijuana and as many as six plants, including up to three mature
plants.

States that have adopted similar laws include California, Washington,
Oregon, Arizona and Alaska. Maine is the sole state with the initiative on
the Nov. 2 ballot. Colorado and Nevada expect to have the initiative on
their 2000 ballots. Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan and Ohio have similar
proposals under consideration.

The District of Columbia last year overwhelmingly voted in favor of allowing
the medicinal use of marijuana. Despite the vote, however, the measure has
not yet become law. In fact, the results of the district's vote were
released only this week, since the ballots up until then have been the
subject of a court fight. The District of Columbia is not a state; it is
under the authority of Congress, and federal law still prohibits the selling
of marijuana.

Lindey said he is not sure how important the medical-use-of-marijuana
initiative would have been to him if he had not been diagnosed with cancer.
"Before I was diagnosed, the initiative probably wouldn't have been a big
priority," he said. "I probably would have voted for it, but I wouldn't have
given it much thought. You just don't think about certain things until they
affect you personally."

For Lindey, this Nov. 2 vote is indeed important to him, but he is not alone
in the fight. "Legalizing marijuana for medical use is not my own personal
war," said Lindey. "I was enlisted into the initiative by Craig Brown and
the Mainers for Medical Rights. But I was happy to help those who are not
able to come forward."

Lindey said he knows there are many cancer patients out there who were in
his same situation, but are embarrassed to come forward because the drug
they use is illegal. "It saddens me that the sick who use marijuana to
alleviate the pain and discomfort feel they can't come forward," he said.
"This is real and people should be able to speak up. We shouldn't have to
drive very sick people into illegal situations. I just wanted to stay alive
and now I want to help those who feel the same way."

Lindey said there is a look of anguish, despair and despondency that is
common to many cancer patients. For him, the marijuana alleviated that
emotional pain. "I can pick out cancer patients without a doubt," said
Lindey. "They don't want to look at anybody and don't want anybody to look
at them. It was not only a physical battle for me but an emotional battle,
too. "With the help of the marijuana, I lost that sense of anguish and
shame. Because I regained my strength and was able to move on my own, I
regained my independence and my confidence and pride was restored."

Compassion and common sense are two key words used by proponents of this
initiative. Opponents, however, have expressed concern that medicinal use
will lead to recreational use, according to Lindey. "One opponent actually
said that they were concerned people using marijuana for medicinal purposes
would turn around and sell it on the streets or to school children," said
Lindey. "I can safely say I have never seen a cancer patient trying to push
drugs on kids. That is not what the initiative is about. We are trying to
save lives, not corrupt them."

Today at 67, Mike Lindey has a new appreciation for life. Although retired
from his veterinary practice, he enjoys spending time at his Freeport
farmhouse with Buddy, his 7-year-old golden retriever. Lindey recently
adopted the dog after he found him abandoned at a shelter.

Lindey said both he and Buddy were saved from an uncertain future by someone
willing to reach out and help a lost soul.

"Looking back I am grateful that I finally rejoined the effort to restore my
health," Lindey said. "A positive attitude I feel was essential and I needed
help and did receive it."