Pubdate: Sun, 27 Jun 2010
Source: Pacific Daily News (US GU)
Copyright: 2010 Pacific Daily News
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Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1122
Author: Luis Villagomez

VETERAN HOPES FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAW

I am a disabled Vietnam War veteran. I saw your notice  about the 
Sunday Forum on medical marijuana and I want  to tell you about my experience.

I have been suffering for years from many illnesses,  including PTSD 
(post traumatic stress disorder),  chronic headaches, chronic body 
pains, severe  arthritis, and hand and leg cramps that affect my 
ability to drive. I have trouble sleeping and I wake up  three or 
four times a night.

Doctors gave me prescriptions for more than a dozen  medicines that I 
have to take several times a day, and  they are all affecting my 
daily functions. Sometimes  the medicine is worse than my sickness -- 
the medicine  that is supposed to help me hurts me instead. Sometimes 
just so I can make it through the day, I can only take  the 
medications at bedtime. When I am taking my  medicine, it really 
affects my family relations.

Some people were talking and saying that marijuana can  help people 
with sicknesses like me. I know it's  illegal but in my past 
experience it works better than  all of my pills. The marijuana keeps 
me at ease and  relieves all of my pains at the same time.

I don't know why the veterans and the people who are  sick cannot 
have this medicine. Instead of so much  pills so many times every 
day, just twice a day of  marijuana, in the morning and at night, and I'm OK.

I hope that this passes so that the sick people can get  the help 
they need. For those who are not sick, they  don't need to take this. 
But for those like me who need  it, please pass this law.

Luis Villagomez

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Luis Villagomez is a resident of Baza Gardens.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart