POT EASES SICK MAN'S SYMPTOMS

Without marijuana, Tim James says he would suffer immensely from symptoms
of Hepatitis C and the drugs he takes to treat his illness.

An ex-marine, Tim has lived in Williams Lake for most of his life. His
troubles began in 1986 when the fuel truck he was driving for Shell Oil
blew up. After the accident, Tim had a number of operations, 27 blood
transfusions, and was unable to work for three years.

Depression mounted on top of his health problems.

An avid Red Cross blood donor, Tim went in to donate in 1992. Shortly
after, he received a letter from the Red Cross notifying him he had
Hepatitis C. Tim says he was in disbelief and shock when he found out he
contracted the disease. He says he always felt like it was his duty to
donate blood to the Red Cross, a service he would no longer be able to fulfil.

Tim is currently receiving a treatment for Hep C called Interferon. Tim
gets three shots a week and takes six pills a day. According to Tim and his
wife of 21 years, Charlotte, the medication makes him angry to the point of
having violent thoughts. He has turned to marijuana to help him.

"The marijuana helps to calm me down," says Tim. " I smoke marijuana to
ease my illness. And if I don't smoke, I don't eat."

When he does eat, Charlotte adds, he can't keep it down.

Tim says sometimes he is so angry he scares his wife, and Charlotte
concurs. Severe muscle cramps, diabetes, permanent arthritis, nausea,
fatigue, depression and vicious mood swings are all side effects of
Interferon. "Most of his anger is from a chemical reaction to the drug.
Interferon is a type of chemotherapy," says Charlotte. "He's half way
through his treatment, and it could put him in remission. He has a 50 per
cent chance.

"(The marijuana) definitely helps - definitely. It helps him sleep and be
pleasant, and helps his depression. We just take it one day at a time. It's
been tough since the day he got burned - it's a hard road."

Charlotte says they would like marijuana to be decriminalized so they can
grow it in the backyard "beside our carrots."

Tim has appealed to his doctors, unsuccessfully, to help him obtain a
permit to use marijuana medicinally. Health Canada's regulations state that
declarations from two medical specialists must accompany an application,
and Charlotte says Tim's doctors aren't willing to do it because of
insurance purposes.

"He's not changing doctors right now," says Charlotte. "He's too sick." Tim
will continue to smoke marijuana for medicinal purposes, and Charlotte
supports that. It's not like it's difficult for him to get, however if he
gets caught with it, he could be facing a fine and/or jail.

According to Sergeant Merv Pointer getting busted with less than 30 grams
of marijuana is a straight summary conviction with a maximum fine of $1,000
and/or six months in jail.