MEDICAL POT MORE THAN PIPE DREAM

My friend from the "old neighborhood" sent me an e-mail with an attachment.

I detest attachments. My aging computer chokes and gags on them, so
I'm a little gun shy.

I was hesitant, but I opened the darn thing.

It was a pitch from my friend Bill to legalize marijuana.

Why, Bill, you old "head," and of course I'll bong-bond with you
(dream on) and watch your Mets games, reminding you that the '62 team
was the worst ever, eat M&Ms by the bushel and drive home at 5 miles
an hour with a buzz looking for the nearest White Castle and a bag of
grease-bomb burgers. Got the munchies, man.

But you want to make pot cool with the heat?

One toke over the line, pal.

Full disclosure: I tried pot back in the early 60s -- when we really
had good music and the East Village wasn't trampled by tourists. We
pulled the blinds and hunkered around a water pipe, a great pretender
circle to summon up the magical powers of Mary-J-Wanna.

A few puffs gave me a raging headache, and that was it for me, I went
back to cheap six packs of beer for my high, plus it was legal.
Forget the bong thing. It was my first and last experience with
reefer madness -- 40 plus years ago.

But here it is, 2009; he's pushing 60 and wants the weed.

However, it's not like he sees a far-out country full of dazed,
stoned soul picnickers, but the legalization has a caveat, for
medical use only. Some might argue that all grass is for medical use,
"it makes me feel good, dude," but in this case it's the legit use of
a controlled substance, like prescription drugs, to ease the pain and
suffering.

In Bill's case, it's multiple sclerosis, one of the conditions that
would allow use of cannabis along with cancer, AIDS, seizures,
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or any other malady a doctor says makes
a point for a joint.

My friend has dealt with MS for about a dozen years and is doing
remarkably well, all things considered. He's still a business exec
but looking for a decent retirement package. We make one or two
saltwater fishing trips this time of year, but at day's end he's
wobbly afoot, and his hands can't be willed to perform the tasks he
once took for granted. His wife doesn't want him to take the boat out
alone, but he does. The dream dies hard in most of us.

Despite the myriad of meds, he's still game for a few "shooters" with
the boys apres fishing and the annual MS walk that begins and ends at
a popular bar at the Jersey Shore each spring. Bill's right there
with a hot dog and cold beer after the 6-mile trek. His team is
captained by his daughter. We walk; he rides his bike these days.
Some make it in wheelchairs.

Any person who has a serious health problem will repeat the cliche,
"there are good days and bad days."

A lot of folks believe there would be more of the former if marijuana
becomes legal. In my book it's called compassion, and it's the right
thing to do.

I realize there are some who still cling to the idea that it's not
the message we want to send to our children; that pot it OK ...
sometimes. But if you believe you can shelter your kids from what's
being sold out of high-school lockers, you're living in fantasy land.

Remember Prohibition? Beer was illegal. Seems kind of silly now, doesn't it?

In New Jersey, where Bill and I live, medical-marijuana legislation
is gaining support. An assembly committee has cleared it for further
action. Last I heard it would make New Jersey the 14th state to allow
the use of the weed, home-grown stuff in some cases, for severe
medical conditions.

Last month, Rep. Mark Cohen (D-Philadelphia) introduced a bill to
protect Keystone State citizens from the cops if they use marijuana
under a doctor's consent. I think it will pass in Jersey. I'm not so
sure about the General Assembly of Pennsylvania.

I'm not for legalizing drugs across the table, but as my colleague
Jeff Edelstein writes in his newspaper column, it's a bit
disingenuous to have politicians, including the current president of
the United States, admit to prior pot smoking while the police are
putting people in jail for the same thing.

But unlike Jeff, I'm not a proponent for lifting all restrictions on
marijuana, but the time is right to allow it for people who live in
physical pain on a daily basis.

Besides, I always wanted to see if pot could grow in the backyard.

Here's hoping Bill has a green thumb.

And has a long life of better days as a result.