MS SUFFERER MONTEL WILLIAMS MAKES THE CASE FOR MEDICAL POT

Editor's note: Connecticut may become the 13th state in the country to
permit the use of marijuana for medical purposes. After legislation
was passed in the state legislature this month, it is now up to Gov.
M. Jodi Rell. What follows is a letter of support from Montel Williams.

Dear Governor Rell,

I'm writing you today to ask for your support for HB 6715, the
Compassionate Use Act. This is an important piece of legislation that
should become law.

Outside my work as a talk-show host, I have for several years spoken
out about my use of medical marijuana for the pain caused by multiple
sclerosis. That surprised a few people, but recent research has proven
that I was right -- right about marijuana's medical benefits and right
about how urgent it is for states such as Connecticut to change their
laws so that sick people aren't treated as criminals.

Back in March, I came to Hartford to participate in a press conference
with patients, legislators and caregivers, and all of us shared
powerful personal stories about what this legislation really means. It
was a powerful experience. The bipartisan support for this legislation
is extraordinary, and is indicative of the moral urgency behind this
issue.

If you see me on television, I look healthy. What you don't see is the
mind-numbing pain searing through my legs like hot pokers.

My doctors wrote me prescriptions for some of the strongest
painkillers available. I took Percocet, Vicodin and OxyContin on a
regular basis -- knowingly risking overdose just trying to make the
pain bearable. But these powerful, expensive drugs brought me no
relief. I couldn't sleep. I was agitated, my legs kicked involuntarily
in bed, and the pain was so bad I found myself crying in the middle of
the night.

All these heavy-duty narcotics made me almost incoherent. I couldn't
take them when I had to work, because they turned me into a zombie.
Worse, all of these drugs are highly addictive, and one thing I knew
was that I didn't want to become a junkie. When someone suggested I
try marijuana, I was skeptical -- but desperate. To my amazement, it
worked when these other legal drugs failed. Three puffs and within
minutes the excruciating pain in my legs subsided. I had my first
restful sleep in months.

I am not alone. A new study from the University of California,
published Feb. 13 in the highly regarded medical journal Neurology,
leaves no doubt about that. You see, people with MS suffer from a
particular type of pain called neuropathic pain -- pain caused by
damage to the nerves. It's common in MS, but also in many other
illnesses, including diabetes and HIV/AIDS. It's typically a burning
or stabbing sensation, and conventional pain drugs don't help much,
whatever the specific illness.

The new study, conducted by Dr. Donald Abrams, looked at neuropathic
pain in HIV/AIDS patients. About one-third of people with HIV
eventually suffer this kind of pain, and there are no FDA-approved
treatments. For some, it gets so bad that they can't walk. This was
what is known as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial,
the "gold standard" of medical research. And marijuana worked.

The very first marijuana cigarette reduced the pain by an average of
72 percent, without serious side effects. What makes this even more
impressive is that U.S. researchers studying marijuana are required to
use marijuana supplied by the federal government -- marijuana that is
famous for being weak and of poor quality. So there is every reason to
believe that studies such as this one underestimate the potential
relief that high-quality marijuana could provide.

Medical marijuana has allowed me to live a productive, fruitful life
despite having multiple sclerosis. Many thousands of others all over
this country -- less well-known than me but whose stories are just as
real -- have experienced the same thing.

The U.S. government knows marijuana works as a medicine. Our
government actually provides medical marijuana each month to five
patients in a program that started about 25 years ago but was closed
to new patients in 1992. One of the patients in that program, Florida
stockbroker Irvin Rosenfeld, was a guest on my show two years ago.

But 38 states -- including Connecticut -- still subject patients with
illnesses such as MS, cancer or HIV/AIDS to arrest and jail for using
medical marijuana, even if their doctor has recommended it. It's long
past time for that to change.

Here in Connecticut, a bipartisan group of legislators has introduced
a bill to protect patients like me from arrest and jail for using
medical marijuana when it's recommended by a doctor.

Similar laws are working well in 12 states right now, with New Mexico
passing its law just a few months ago. These laws work, Governor. And
public safety has not been an issue --according to professor Mitch
Earlywine at the State University of New York, states with medical
marijuana laws have actually seen a decrease in marijuana use by
adolescents.

Governor, this bill deserves your support. Sick people shouldn't be
treated as criminals.

Sincerely yours,

Montel Williams