READERS RESPOND ON MEDICAL MARIJUANA

By Dr. W. Gifford-Jones, Special to The Windsor Star

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.

D.J. from Sherbrooke, Quebec, 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. Too many tax dollars are spent on controlling something
that cannot be controlled."

A reader from Winnipeg says, "It's good to see some common sense
thinking about the medical use of marijuana. My son suffers from
nonHodgkin'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, "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 urinary 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
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 write a prescription.

Surely, there must be a physician in that city who has the compassion
to do so. If there is, contact me. I'll send her the name.

From St. Catharines, "My 29-yearold son has suffered from obsessive
compulsive disease since age 15. Traditional medicines have not helped
his fear of germs nor coped with his anxiety. One of his tics is
spitting which makes him a social outcast. Marijuana helps this
problem by keeping his mouth dry. "

Ninety-five per cent of readers applauded the Quebec judges. Others
believed increased use of marijuana would lead to other problems.

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 and to my knowledge no commercial testing by dogs is available.

Write to Dr. Gifford-Jones at 1 First Canadian Place, P.O. Box 119,
Toronto, Ont. M5X 1A4 or visit his website at docgiff.com.