MEDICAL MARIJUANA GETS A BIG THUMBS-UP

Reaction to Judges' Decision 95% Positive

Were the judges right or wrong? A man suffered spinal injuries in a
car accident, leaving him with chronic pain only relieved by
marijuana. His insurance company refused to pay for this medication.
But Quebec judges believed that "personal experience" must be
considered when deciding if a patient is helped by medication. They
ruled his company must pay $5,000 so he could grow his own marijuana.
When I wrote about this, I asked for your opinion.

DJ from Sherbrooke, Que., responded: "Congratulations for bringing
this matter to the public's attention. My father is dying of cancer
and this is the one remedy that helps to control his pain and nausea.
It's ludicrous he has to obtain this illegally, but there is so much
red tape to get it legally. It seems that the government and drug
companies would sooner have him addicted to painkillers such as oxycodone."

From Toronto:, "I wonder why the government promotes alcohol, but throws
people in jail for having marijuana in their pocket to relieve pain and
anxiety. It's not just patients with cancer who need this medication."

A reader from Winnipeg says: "It's good to see some common-sense
thinking about the medical use of marijuana. My son suffers from
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. We have found that after trying other
remedies, smoking marijuana offers the most relief from his anxiety
and pain."

Another from Calgary reports: "My mother has metastatic cancer and is
undergoing chemotherapy. Doctors have prescribed several drugs to
counteract the nausea, but marijuana is far superior."

From Sault Ste Marie, Ont.: "I enjoyed reading your article on the
need for weed. I have rods and bolts in my spine following a car
accident years ago. I have been in chronic pain, which affects my
entire life. For years I required large doses of morphine, but
marijuana has eased the pain and I can finally sleep through the night."

The most tragic response was from a reader in Lethbridge, Alta. During
a hysterectomy, her bladder was severely injured. Since this
complication, she has undergone 22 bladder operations, resulting in
scar tissue and pain. Finally, the entire bladder was removed, with
all the unpleasant consequences. She says her only help is marijuana,
but the doctor who prescribed it has retired. Now she's unable to find
another physician willing to prescribe it. Surely there must be a
physician in that city who has the compassion to do it. If so, contact
me. I'll send her the name.

Many readers mentioned they suffered from depression, anxiety and/or
stress and had been prescribed increasing doses of antidepressants
that made them feel funny or suicidal. Marijuana was the only
medication that eased their nerves, calmed the stomach, helped them
concentrate and be happy.

Ninety-five per cent of readers applauded the Quebec judges. Others
believed increased use of marijuana would lead to other problems. One
man remarked: "If a doctor prescribes marijuana, he should also be in
a position to cancel their driving licence. I don't want to have my
family injured by some pot-smoking driver."

My recent column on diagnosing colon cancer by stool-sniffing dogs
also resulted in many emails. Readers asked where they could send
stool samples in order to bypass colonoscopy. But these dogs were part
of research studies and to my knowledge no commercial testing by dogs
is available.

To learn more about cancer, see the website www.docgiff.com For
comments, info@docgiff.com