MEDICAL MARIJUANA MEETING IN LAGUNA WOODS DRAWS MORE THAN 70 PEOPLE

Laguna Woods For Medical Cannabis Sponsors The Meeting.

"This is an historic meeting," began Laguna Woods resident Dr. Bill
Schwied to a growing crowd in the Community Center's Elm Room Friday,
July 10 for "A Discussion on Medical Cannabis." "We're in our 70s,
80s, 90s. We're trying to fill medical needs with whatever will help
we can get."

Minutes earlier United Director Gail McNulty had introduced Schwied to
a group of about 30 for the meeting sponsored by the group, Laguna
Woods for Medical Cannabis. Now she was setting up more chairs as more
people continued to stream in and Dr. Schwied struggled to make
himself heard. As the throng grew a decision was made to transfer to
the nearby Board Room. By the time the meeting reconvened—a sign
posted near the Elm Room's entrance announcing "Mary Jane" had
moved—more than 70 people were present.

"I'm a herder!" laughed McNulty. "Our last meeting had only 10
people."

Both McNulty and Schwied reintroduced themselves and the purpose of
the meeting: A discussion on how to reduce human suffering through the
benefits of medicinal marijuana.

Next a woman introducing herself as Margo spoke about dealing with the
nausea accompanying her multiple sclerosis. She had tried everything,
she said, but nothing worked.

Then she was advised to try medicinal marijuana. As a former
psychiatric nurse, Margo added, she had her doubts. Nonetheless, "I
took one whiff, expelled, and . . . no more nausea! Then I thought,
what comes next? Am I supposed to get a little bit crazy?"

It didn't happen, she added. But with the nausea vanquished, she was
at last able to keep food down.

Others shared similar stories or asked questions about how they, too,
might be able to obtain medicinal marijuana. Interest forms circulated
and Mission Viejo resident Anna T. Boyce, a retired nurse and the
driving force behind the 1996 California state proposition making
medicinal marijuana legal, said "I call marijuana an herb, not a drug;
to me a drug is chemicals."

Boyce also noted that last year the City of Laguna Woods passed an
ordinance allowing medical marijuana dispensaries. "But none have been
established yet. Everyone's afraid."

McNulty responded that one of the aims of the group will be "to
establish a collective here in Laguna Woods, where we can grow our
own."