A few weeks ago I was diagnosed with a rare spinal disease called Syringomyelia. I don't expect many, if any, of you to know what that is, most doctors don't even know about it. It's a rare debilitating disorder that attacks the core of the spinal cord with cysts that are incurable and barely treatable. My form is from a congenital birth defect and is fairly advanced. In three months time I have gone from being perfectly normal and healthy to walking with a cane, not being able to tie my shoes and experiencing high amounts of pain 24 hours a day. My spinal cord is swelling and crushing the nerves in my spine. It's painful, debilitating and can lead to crippling of the limbs and paralysis.
Not much is known about this disease. Very little research or awareness is being done and many times patients have to teach their doctor what it is and how best to treat it. This, as expected, has changed my life forever. It's caused me to stop and rethink my goals and plans in life and begin to set new ones, and although one could become very depressed with this news (and I certainly have had my down moments) it is teaching me more everyday to appreciate the simple things in life. To slow down and enjoy the present. To learn that life isn't what is thrown at us but what we make of what is being thrown at us.
Now this brings me to my second subject and something that sparked the idea for this article in the first place. It is the right of every human being to be able to choose and use the best treatment available to them. We, along with our families and physicians are of course the best at knowing what is the best treatment for bodies and the illnesses we might face. It is not a politician, body of elected officials or any other spurious group that claims any authority over us.
We should never allow that to happen but in fact, that is exactly what we have done.
Cannabis, among many qualities, is one of the best treatments for my disease. It not only has proven to be a great pain killer with no side effects, as opposed to the many side effects of life long treatments with prescription narcotics, it has also shown in study to help promote new spinal tissue growth which over time could possibly begin to heal the damages done to my spinal cord by this disease.Now I am not a new advocate for the legalization of cannabis, I have supported that for many years. I am not a recreational user and never have been but I also see that as a personal choice and not of some bureaucrat who has no authority to control your life. I am now though, faced with this in a personal way. To make the decision to use a treatment for pain that will cause damage to my body as I continue to use it and only offer moderate relief or to risk imprisonment if I choose to use a medicine that will offer a safer treatment for my condition.
You see I live in Missouri and here there is no medical marijuana laws and just a gram will get you 1 year in jail. And why you may ask this is? I believe it's because there are still many old fashioned god fearing conservatives that still believe that ol MJ is evil and addictive and a gateway drug and turns people into animals and kills people and causes them to kill. Yeah I know I just stepped on a lot of toes there and probably ruffled a few feathers but tell me where I'm wrong? Besides anyone who's read my stuff before should know by now I don't candy coat things to protect feelings.
Now I'm not putting ALL right wings evangelicals down. That's how I grew up though. I know how they think. There's plenty on the left that want to continue prohibition too. But to me this isn't and shouldn't be about politics. It's about people and our health and our bodies and our natural human rights to choose and to choose to use a simple natural growing plant that can do so many things for us (besides get high).
Yes, I am a medical marijuana advocate because it can personally benefit me but more importantly I'm a freedom advocate so that all humanity can choose their own best life without the threat and use of violence against them. Let me choose what's best for me and if I choose poorly then let me live with that choice but don't force me to buy your friends patented pills that they gross high profits from while preventing me with the threats of violence and kidnapping from using something just as good if not better just because your buddies can't make money from it. (Yeah, I'm sure you get my point there. Don't think I need to draw a picture.)
Pain and suffering are horrible things to endure especially when they are never ending. Stop making sick moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas and children into criminals just because of your archaic beliefs and your monetary benefits from your drug company buddies. Just remember this, those prescription drugs you and everyone else say to use instead of cannabis sure maim and kill far more than cannabis ever has ( which is zero).
So the next time you see one of those drug commercials listing all those side effects ask yourself how much safer it would be for the person to just light one up.
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I'm with you on this Travis. Personally I am for legalization just for recreational use. As long as its treated like alcohol and a person doesnt smoke pot and drive... I don't see the difference. I have also used it for medical reasons when I was in seriously dire straights and it helped tremendously. I bought it for a relative that was going through chemo. I think its sad that people end up doing what are considered criminal acts because they need medical relief. In my fantasy world I would not only be using it but I would be growing my own in my garden like I am growing my vegetables to keep myself healthy.
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