MARIJUANA EASED DAD'S LAST DAYS

I am disturbed by your Jan. 26 editorial, "Leave medical pot to science."
Last year my father, a 40-year tobacco smoker, died in my home of
brain/lung cancer.

When my father arrived in my home after completing chemotherapy, he weighed
a mere 85 pounds and couldn't hold down a single egg because of the nausea
and wasting syndrome associated with his treatment.

I was told my father would die within weeks. At the suggestion of a family
member we decided we would try offering my dad a small amount of marijuana
orally in the form of baked goods. The result was short of miraculous. The
first day he was able to enjoy and keep down an entire meal.

He went on to defy the predictions of his doctors and stun the hospice
nurses by living a full four months after I was told to just keep him
hydrated. Those four months were invaluable to him, as he remained alert,
engaged and active until the last few days.

I'm appalled and infuriated that my father, a veteran and a lifelong
law-abiding citizen, had to die a criminal to steal a few precious months
of quality life. Those months will remain sacred to me and my family forever.

I've done my studies, and I know the true danger lies in hysteria and the
monetary stranglehold the pharmaceutical companies hold on public policy
makers in Olympia.

VIVIAN McPEAK, Seattle