WITNESSES TO POT'S MEDICINAL VALUE

In 1982, my grandfather was diagnosed with throat cancer. In less than a
year, he weighed less than 100 pounds from being well over 190 and fit. He
couldn't keep anything in his stomach. Not food, not his medicines. My
grandmother was of Native American ancestry and knew that a person needed
to eat to heal. Finally a doctor told her to try marijuana.

I can still hear the desperation in my grandmother's voice the day she
called me looking for some marijuana. I was 25 and quite shocked. After the
shock wore off and she had explained the reason, I understood. The next
phone call from my grandmother is just as memorable. This time it was the
excitement in her voice that I remember. She said, "Get some more! Grandpa
has eaten five times and not thrown up once!" -- her exact words. Thank you
for printing this story. It brought back some very special memories.

Meril Draper

Brinnon, Wash.