COMPASSION CLUB SERVICE NEEDED BY MEDICAL POT USERS

To the Editor,

Re: Club reopens to sell medical pot, May 13.

I'm in the process of going through another tiring round with Health
Canada over medical marijuana, so it was a relief to read Bob Estes
has opened a place to obtain a better quality product and possibly
without the hassles one encounters via Health Canada.

I find it incredulous how I can walk into a medi-centre and
immediately obtain narcotics for my condition.

Narcotics that are addictive can damage the liver and cause a host of
side effects. These damaging narcotics, which have generously been
prescribed to me over the years, can be refilled with ease,
discounted through Pharmacare (which medicinal marijuana isn't), yet
they never fully alleviated the ramifications of my condition. And
they have the potential to cause me other health problems due to
their side effects.

In fact, one federally approved drug caused me such severe toxicity,
it damaged my liver and resulted in a few weeks in hospital where a
nurse said I experienced every side effect except coma and death.
Another reason why I'd like to stay away from "approved" narcotics
that metabolize through the liver.

Since taking medical marijuana, my liver has healed.

To obtain a licence for medical marijuana prescription, one goes
through a lengthy process. After all the forms are printed, filled in
by the patient and doctor, they can get lost in transition.

Then there are more forms to fill out to order one's meds, submitting
to Health Canada, then waiting up to a couple of weeks for a product
to arrive that I've learned is of poor quality and possibly
contaminated.

When Health Canada says it will get back to you within five business
days, it took 16 days to respond to say my renewal is again lost.

The beauty of medicinal marijuana is it works. The pain is relieved
within minutes rather than suffering up to an hour waiting for a
nasty little narcotic pill to be effective.

I can control the amount of marijuana I consume through a vaporizer
that relates to the particular level of pain I'm experiencing whereas
something like Oxycontin is already formed into a particular dose
that may not match up to my level of pain at the moment.

And the side effects from addictive, organ-damaging pills are far
greater than what I consume through my vaporizer. My medicinal
marijuana has helped me with pain, seizure control, stress, nausea
and food intake.

Blessings to Mr. Estes for making things more manageable, offering
other products (such as salves) and bringing forth more awareness.

C.J. Heavey

Nanaimo