IT'S HIGH TIME A MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILL IS PASSED

Most families in this country have lost a loved one to cancer, and
while each experience is different, most share some characteristics,
especially if the loved one undergoes chemotherapy.

In my family, my mother and father both died of lung cancer. My
mother smoked for almost 50 years, but gave it up when she was
diagnosed. My father never could quit and was sneaking cigarettes
until a few days before his death.

Both made decisions early on that they would go out fighting and
would subject themselves to any treatment available, no matter the
dramatic nature of the side effects.

My father underwent radiation therapy, and both had aggressive
regimens of chemotherapy.

The radiation therapy made my father's hair fall out, but the
effects of the chemotherapy on my parents were even more shocking.
They lost weight; they were sick all the time. They were in pain.
They couldn't eat.

That, perhaps, was the saddest effect of all. People suffering
terminal illness who couldn't even enjoy the comfort of their
favorite foods in their last months on earth.

I'm going to confess to a crime here, but I think the statute of
limitations has probably run out.

At one point, I bought some marijuana from an old friend and gave it
to my father. The resultswere immediate. It invigorated his
appetite. It quieted his nausea, and also made his constant pain
more bearable. It even improved his mood and his outlook. I made
the same offer to my mother, but she declined on the grounds that
even if it might help, it was still illegal and she didn't want to
spend what little time she had left in court, or jail.

Since then, I have been a staunch advocate of legalizing marijuana
for medial uses. It seemed to me that people with terminal or
debilitating illness should have every option available to them that
might lighten their loads. The last thing they should worry about
is whether smoking marijuana might be a "gateway" to the use of
stronger narcotics.

And the argument that legalizing marijuana for medical uses sends
the wrong message to children seemed simply ludicrous. Even very
young children know the difference between medicine and illegal drug
use. And if we can't explain that difference to them, then we are
not doing a very good job as adults.

New Jersey has been a holdout among states nationwide that have
legalized marijuana for medical purposes, but it looks like it is
finally about to change -- in part because of the case of John Ray
Wilson. Wilson suffers from an autoimmune disease that affects his
central nervous system and is facing felony drug charges because of
the pot he used to help him get by. Because they don't want to see
this sick man in jail, state legislators have put a bill to legalize
medical marijuana on the fast track.

The state Senate approved the bill recently and it is expected to
pass the Assembly as well. It's hoped that Gov. Jon S. Corzine will
sign it before he leaves office in January, but even if he doesn't,
incoming Gov. Christopher Christie has said he is generally supportive.

I say good for them. It's about time.

And kids in this state are pretty smart. They'll understand what's going on.

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