PLEASE SUPPORT I-692

I lost my mother to uterine and breast cancer the same week that I was
diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, so I know a little bit about the
suffering of people with terminal or serious illness.

My stoic mother was in terrible pain for a week while her nurses and I
fought to have morphine prescribed for her. After my pancreatic
resection, which included partial removal of my stomach and colon,
food and medicine refused to stay down. Medications for calming my
stomach and reducing pain were of little use since they wouldn't stay
in my stomach long enough to digest.

This is a bit graphic, but now that there is an initiative that is
truly for the medical use of marijuana, we need to face that
swallowing "proven medication" doesn't always work. We have to face
that those suffering could be us or those we love. Please vote yes on
Initiative 692.

Some are concerned that this bill might make marijuana available to
our youth.

When I was sickest, a friend confided that her non-using kids said
they could get marijuana for me within a day anytime.

I resisted asking someone to break the law. Now that we have a
"sharply honed and carefully worded" initiative (Dr. William
Robertson's op-ed in The Herald Oct. 12), please allow cancer and
glaucoma patients to relieve their suffering.

Please vote for I-692.

NORMA L. PLUMB
Lynnwood

Checked-by: Patrick Henry