HE'D BE DEAD WITHOUT POT

This is in response to Erika Kubassek's April 12 letter (God opposes pot
smoking). You obviously missed the passage where God says, "I give man all
seed-bearing plants."

Marijuana has many benefits and will not pollute the environment. It can be
used to make fuel, paper and clothing, which will last longer than today's
materials and will cause less contamination then today's products.

I have Crohn's disease. I have lost parts of my bowel and 75 per cent of my
kidneys because of it. The doctors want me to consume 7,000 pills a year,
not including painkillers. Half of the drugs they want me to take have
severe side-effects. One drug, Prednisone, causes cataracts, among other
symptoms.

If it were not for marijuana I would be dead. It allows me to eat without
vomiting. Gravol and other drugs like that don't work as good. I would end
up overdosing from taking them each time before and after I eat.

Without marijuana I would be just over 100 pounds, instead of 130 pounds. I
spend anywhere from $6,000 to $8,000 a year. I will grow again someday and
should not have to worry about going to jail for this!

Those who bypass hydro deserve to have the book thrown at them. When I do
start growing again it would be hooked up according to electrical
guidelines, with a thermal switch to shut down the ballast in case of
overheating. I will also have a smoke detector and carbon dioxide detector
in the room. I am not a criminal, just a person looking for a better
quality of life the doctors will not give me and can't unless they give
medical marijuana. They should be concentrating on harder drugs like
cocaine and crack, which are the real evil.

I hope I never have to file a civil suit against the government or doctor
for denying me this medicine. But I will if it means going to jail.
Marijuana is not a gateway drug - that is a personnel choice. I have had
harder drugs offered to me and have turned them down many times.

I would be willing to pay a small fee for the right to grow and have the
fire marshal inspect my setup for a small fee. I hope the City of Cambridge
and the federal government will create a law for this. It is a way of
making money to better educate our youth on this issue and stop wasting
money incarcerating people at a cost of millions that could be spent more
wisely in other areas, like health care and education.

It's called "common sense" in which our provincial and federal governments
cannot understand.

Ron Cunningham, Cambridge