Pubdate: Sun, 20 Jun 2010
Source: Billings Gazette, The (MT)
Copyright: 2010 The Billings Gazette
Contact: http://billingsgazette.com/app/contact/?contact=letter
Website: http://www.billingsgazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/515
Author: Teri Brien

FOES OF MARIJUANA LAW DON'T SHOW COMPASSION

It seems to me that Cherrie Brady, the sponsor of the  petition to
repeal Montana's compassionate medical  marijuana law, wants people
with stomach cancer to puke  more, people with colorectal cancer to
eat less, people  with rheumatoid arthritis to suffer more frequent
liver  damage. There are current medications for all of those  things,
but the side effects of those same medications  sometimes limit the
life expectancy of the users. That  is simply a fact, supported by the
Food and Drug  Administration, the American Medical Association and
even the manufacturers of those medications. Why would  she insist
that ill people have no other choice than to  take those
medications?

I am a Stage 4 colon cancer survivor. When I stopped to  visit James
Knox, who is running for a legislative seat  from my district where he
was collecting signatures to  rescind the compassionate medical
marijuana laws in  this state, I was told by Knox I had no right to
talk  to the people who were stopping by about my condition.  This
"gentleman" called the police to have me, a  six-time grandmother,
local businesswoman and Stage 4  cancer survivor, removed. When I was
allowed to leave  and went to my home, I was then confronted by
belligerent petition gatherers who knocked on my door  and asked me to
sign the petition to rescind the law  that has allowed me some comfort.

Please, when confronted by these petition gatherers,  try to be more
compassionate than these representatives  of the anti-medical-marijuana
group.

Teri Brien

Billings 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D