This is a guy's story from Bode, Iowa who gets Cannabis legally from the government every month.

This is my story.

I am the 5th Person who has Won the Battle to use an Illegal Drug

for my medical problems

Marijuana legal in Iowa? Yes, I won my battle enabling me to use the illegal drug for my medical problems. I am one of only 34 known medically ill individuals who have been approved to use marijuana legally in the U.S. I suffer from a rare neurological disease known as Nail Patella Syndrome (NPS). There are only 200 known cases of this genetic disorder. Of those, eight percent are affected with organ and immune system complications which kills most of them by the age of 40

My sister died with NPS at age 44. My mother has NPS, but is only affected by slight joint deformities. When I was three, my father died at the age of 40 from a combination of tumors and tuberculosis. Today, in addition to fighting for my life, I am still wagering a battle with marijuana.

Instead of legality for just myself and a few others, I am fighting to help scores of medically ill individuals who haven't received the privilege to use the drug legally. "If one ill individual can legally use the drug and get some relief from their pain, I feel I have succeeded with my mission

A pamphlet provided by the Family Council on Drug Awareness defines marijuana as the dried leaves and flowers of the cannabis plant, which contain the non-narcotic chemical, THC, at various potencies They note it is smoked or eaten to produce the feeling of being High. Different strains of this herb produce different sensual effects, ranging from sedative to stimulant. Prior to getting my first legal supply of marijuana on March 17,1990, I used marijuana illegally for more than 20 years to help cope with the pain from an illness which wasn't diagnosed until a few years ago.

I have written a testimonial affidavit dated Sept. 26, 1989, in the book, Marijuana, Medicine and the Law series. A notation at the end of my affidavit tells that I obtained legal access to the marijuana after I had written my testimonial but prior to the time the book was published in April of 1991. R.C. Randall is the editor of the book describing muscle spasm, pain, and marijuana therapy. It includes testimony from Federal and State Court proceedings on marijuana's medical use in the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis, paralysis, and chronic pain. The publisher noted that I had a lifetime of mysterious pain and physical ailments... marijuana was effective in treating the chronic pain associated with my condition. I was born with mild deformities including missing fingernails, double jointed fingers, poorly jointed elbows, and small knee caps.

I was always ill, even as a child. During one siege, I got Pink Eye, followed by Chicken Pox, which developed into strep throat and eventually ended with rheumatic fever.. After six months of hospitalization, it took another three months of bed rest before I could do any of the chores and games of a normal boy my age. I contracted colds and flu easily. In 1961 I moved with my family to Arizona.

The Muscles in my arms didn't develop normally. Lifting weights didn't even help with the muscles. I was constantly breaking bones, especially in my hands and wrists.

In the early 1960's, I started smoking marijuana on an occasional basis, which I found relieved my constant pain. Unlike other individuals who get giggly and high after smoking marijuana, I just felt better. My muscles stopped going into spasms, the unbearable pain would leave and my body relaxed. My knees were causing me so much discomfort, but I didn't give up. I wanted to be like other people who weren't always ill. I just tried that much harder. I figured it was because I was working too hard.

In 1964, I underwent surgery to correct my right arm's inflexible elbow. The operation failed to improve my elbow's mobility. The surgery was not successful. During the surgery, one of my large nerves in my lower arm was severed. This resulted in numbness to my lower right arm and pain in my elbow. I always had something wrong.

Between 1966 and 1968 I suffered from hepatitis, strain A and B. I was in the hospital for a long period of time and was treated with a variety of powerful pain-killers, tranquilizers, narcotics, sedatives, and anti-inflammatory drugs. The medications' ingredients altered my moods.

I had a motorcycle accident in 1972. Following three surgeries on my right knee, the pain didn't subside and became intense.

In the mid 1970's my hands were in very bad shape. I was employed in the mines handling lots of chemicals and working with heavy equipment. My hands were terribly swollen and they felt like they were on fire. At the time, I was living in Arizona and became acquainted with many Mexican people, ranging in age from 40 to their late 70's. Seeing that my hands were in bad shape, our landlord, an elderly Mexican woman, told me she had something that would help and I followed her in the back room. She pulled out a potion, which was marijuana in cane alcohol. She said that that type of application had been made by Mexican peasants for centuries. The potion was spread on my hands.

My first experience with the rubbing compound made my hands feel even hotter, but in a short time the burning sensation left and the swelling disappeared. I stopped once or twice a day during the week and four to five times a day during the weekend for potion applications to my hands. After several weeks, my hands were back to normal and I regained the use of them with far less joint pain.

In 1976, I broke my right wrist. My right side always seemed to be the worst. It always got the broken bones. The wrist was taped in a fist position. After a year of not being able to get my hand out of the fist position, it was discovered I had lost the joint in my wrist. Doctors tried to repair the damage by taking a piece of bone from my hip and putting it in my wrist in hopes of fusing the joint. By 1974-75, I felt that using small amounts of marijuana daily helped ease my discomfort better than any prescribed drugs or combination of drugs.

I didn't like the drug effects I got from all the medications which were prescribed for me. I didn't have the hallucinations or end up in the hospital from the marijuana like I did for the strong prescription medications. I also felt a lot more bright and wide-eyed when I just used the marijuana. In 1978, I stepped on a nail. The wound did not heal and after several months with an infected hole in my foot, I was hospitalized.

Hardship hit the our family again in December 1979. I was fired from my job as an open pit miner after being absent for more than 15 days from my duties.

Thinking it was just a string of bad luck, I started doing auto body work on a full time basis. Despite the constant pain, I was getting along pretty well with my work until 1983. I fell off a ladder onto a concrete floor which caused extensive spinal damage to an already unhealthy back. Accustomed to almost constant pain, I ignored the severe pain until it became unbearable and I couldn't lie down, sit up, walk, or have my body in any comfortable position.

In July of 1985, I moved my family back to Bode IA, near the area where I grew up.

Ultra sound treatments failed to provide any relief, so in 1985, I went for spinal adjustments, I got some relief for three days and then became terribly ill and was rushed to the hospital where I was given huge amounts of morphine. My condition was diagnosed as Renal Failure as my right kidney shut down. On Sept. 27, 1985, I was transferred from a county hospital to Iowa City where urologists attempted to save the kidney. Following the ultra-sound, nine surgeries and the passing of numerous huge kidney stones, things began to look better, but I was rushed into surgery when my kidney stopped for the second time. During surgery, my kidney hemorrhaged profusely and suddenly, like a miracle, the kidney started working. My doctors didn't know what to expect so they left the kidney intact, but didn't close the opening in case the condition warranted the procedure again. Unfortunately, one of my major nerves was severed during the surgery which resulted in numbness in my lower abdomen, groin and right leg. The incision almost cut my mid-section in half. An added traumatic experience during my recovery was that my surgical wound didn't heal properly and became infected. My wound had to be cleaned daily. The condition persisted for months. Eventually the doctors gave my wife a turkey baster which she inserted in a deep hole about a third of an inch wide in my side. The hydrogen Peroxide injected into the wound helped to control the unexplained infection.

After almost one year of constant battling with the unhealed surgery wound, my doctors discovered I had Tuberculosis (TB). This is the same disease that killed my father. I was placed on intense anti-TB therapy program which aided in the wounds healing, but my surgery wasn't over yet. As soon as the wound healed, doctors did surgery to remove four inches of decayed muscle, fat, and flesh from where the wound hadn't wanted to heal.

I was unable to keep my auto body shop in Bode and was declared disabled late in 1987. I continued to travel to Iowa City, sometimes as often as two and three times per week for continued care, observation and evaluation. The doctors were completely baffled by my symptoms. I was sent from one department to another and one specialist to another, If I was under a doctor's care for any length of time, I always leveled with them and told them the best relief I got was from marijuana. On numerous occasions, doctors were convinced that marijuana was helping me cope with my undetermined condition, but felt they were not in the position to help me obtain the drug legally. By 1988, I was convinced it was necessary I have marijuana to handle the pain, and I didn't have all the problems that I had with the very strong prescribed drugs. The strong drugs were causing all kinds of problems and I still had the pain.

I started my battle exploring avenues where I could obtain marijuana legally and not be considered a criminal. In 1988, a urologist diagnosed me as having Fong Syndrome. Later the condition was diagnosed as Nail Patella Syndrome, which is an extremely rare disease. Only 200 people have been diagnosed with NPS in medical history. NPS is incurable, not well understood, progressive and terminal. Even though it is poorly understood, it is a genetic condition and affects major organs including the kidney and liver, disrupts the immune system in ways that are difficult to understand, and causes the bones to be deformed, become brittle and break easy.

Most patients lose their teeth when they are young. I had lost all mine before I was 21. I did some research on NPS and learned that the genetic disorder affects the joints, limits mobility, causes chronic pain, and muscle cramps and spasms. This was why the muscles in my back and legs became very constricted and the pain was very intense. I got tired very easy and could only stand a few minutes without experiencing unbearable pain. Spells of nausea, fever, chills and night sweats were common for me.

I have been under some type of medical care for most of my life and in immediate life threatening condition on numerous occasions, due to kidney failure or medication reaction. My medical care includes 19 major surgeries, seven performed in one week. During one unsuccessful surgery, I had 11 tubes or cables into or attached to my body.

During my life, I have been prescribed morphine, Demerol, Motrin, Codeine, Valium, and countless other anti-spasmodic, anti-inflammatory, tranquilizers, sedating and mood altering medications. My doctors have included Urologists, Neurologists, Internists, Psychiatrists, Osteopaths, Orthopedic surgeons, General Practitioners and chiropractors. I have been rushed to hospital emergency rooms on at least six occasions suffering from severe, potentially lethal drug induced adverse conditions caused by powerful medications. This includes drug induced respiratory and renal failure and hallucinations. The medications had little effect on my chronic pain and spasms, but left me in more distress, both mentally and physically incapacitated. I felt so drugged and dopey that I couldn't function normally. Reactions to the drugs damaged my stomach, making it impossible for me to eat and in a terrible nauseated state.

While smoking an equivalent of 10 marijuana cigarettes per day, I was as comfortable as possible and didn't require the strong prescribed medications including Phenergan, an anti-nausea controlling drug. I rarely found a doctor who wasn't pleased to listen and most understood my dilemma, but felt they weren't in a position to take the stand of legalizing marijuana for those who needed the drug for medical purposes.

Finally I discovered a medical doctor in Iowa who took a special interest in my plight to use marijuana legally for my intense pain! I went through investigational protocol and spastic pain evaluation. I then contacted Iowa Senator Charles Grassley's office (shown below with my wife and I). I was very pleased as they were so helpful.
I also contacted the Alliance for Cannabis Therapy (ACT) in Washington, DC. They are a non-profit organization, founded in 1981, seeking to end the federal prohibition of cannabis (marijuana) in medicine. ACT is concentrated solely on the question of marijuana's medical utility and adopts no policy regarding the non-medical use of cannabis. It assists individuals with glaucoma, cancer, M.S., AIDS, epilepsy, chronic pain and other ailments.

After numerous tests, evaluation and piles of legal papers, I received my first shipment of marijuana from the government's National Institute for Drug Abuse in March of 1990. I receive 300 cigarettes per month at no cost. According to printed material provided, the cost to the government for the marijuana provided the patients is very small. I go to a designated pharmacy and through two sets of locked doors to receive my supply of marijuana, which is then stored in a locked safe, which is closer to my home.

Many of those who receive their marijuana from the government have had their supply disrupted, but I feel very fortunate, as this has not happened to me since I was granted permission to use the drug legally for my health.

After some experimenting, I discovered that if I prepare the dried marijuana in a food, preferably baked in brownies, the marijuana has a more lasting effect for my condition and still adds the extra food value I need. There is more food value in fresh marijuana, but I am just so pleased to be able to use what they send me legally. To be relieved of some of the pain and still be within the law means so much.

To help educate the public on the medical value of marijuana, I have been on a crusade to help other ill people. I was presented a certificate of heroism for participating in the President's Drug Awareness Program dated December 26,1990 and signed by Nancy Reagan. I have spoken to crowds as large as 25,000 on national television, to groups of students and instructors on the University of Iowa Campus, given testimonials at the Council on Marijuana and Health's 20th anniversary, Congress of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws in Washington DC, testified twice to the Minnesota State legislature to legalize marijuana for medical use, and to many small groups.

We are making some progress, but very slow. Every time we make some progress, we find another stumbling block. Approximately 1,100 Americans have received permission for the use of marijuana for medical purposes since it was outlawed in 1937 according to my good friend, Robert Randall, president of ACT.

I have the full support of my family. Without their support, I would not be able to continue this battle I have undertaken to see every "Patient out of Time" allowed to use the substance that helps them most to cope with the pains and illnesses of their lives -- MARIJUANA

MARIJUANA is DANGEROUS. Pot is NOT harmful to the human body or mind. Marijuana does NOT pose a threat to the general public. Marijuana is very much a danger to the oil companies, alcohol, tobacco industries and a large number of chemical corporations. Various big businesses, with plenty of dollars and influence, have suppressed the truth from the people.

The truth is if marijuana was utilized for its vast array of commercial products, it would create an industrial atomic bomb! Entrepreneurs have not been educated on the product potential of pot. The super rich have conspired to spread misinformation about an extremely versatile plant that, if used properly, would ruin their companies.

Where did the word 'marijuana' come from? In the mid 1930s, the M-word was created to tarnish the good image and phenomenal history of the hemp plant...as you will read. The facts cited here, with references, are generally verifiable in the Encyclopedia Britannica which was printed on hemp paper for 150 years:

* All schoolbooks were made from hemp or flax paper until the 1880s; Hemp Paper Reconsidered, Jack Frazier, 1974.

* It was LEGAL TO PAY TAXES WITH HEMP in America from 1631 until the early 1800s; LA Times, Aug. 12, 1981.

* REFUSING TO GROW HEMP in America during the 17th and 18th Centuries WAS AGAINST THE LAW! You could be jailed in Virginia for refusing to grow hemp from 1763 to 1769; Hemp in Colonial Virginia, G. M. Herdon.

* George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and other founding fathers GREW HEMP; Washington and Jefferson Diaries. Jefferson smuggled hemp seeds from China to France then to America.

* Benjamin Franklin owned one of the first paper mills in America and it processed hemp. Also, the War of 1812 was fought over hemp. Napoleon wanted to cut off Moscow's export to England; Emperor Wears No Clothes, Jack Herer.

* For thousands of years, 90% of all ships' sails and rope were made from hemp. The word 'canvas' is Dutch for cannabis; Webster's New World Dictionary.

* 80% of all textiles, fabrics, clothes, linen, drapes, bed sheets, etc. were made from hemp until the 1820s with the introduction of the cotton gin.

* The first Bibles, maps, charts, Betsy Ross's flag, the first drafts of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were made from hemp; U.S. Government Archives.

* The first crop grown in many states was hemp. 1850 was a peak year for Kentucky producing 40,000 tons. Hemp was the largest cash crop until the 20th Century; State Archives.

* Oldest known records of hemp farming go back 5000 years in China, although hemp industrialization probably goes back to ancient Egypt.

* Rembrants, Gainsboroughs, Van Goghs as well as most early canvas paintings were principally painted on hemp linen.

* In 1916, the U.S. Government predicted that by the 1940s all paper would come from hemp and that no more trees need to be cut down. Government studies report that 1 acre of hemp equals 4.1 acres of trees. Plans were in the works to implement such programs; Department of Agriculture

* Quality paints and varnishes were made from hemp seed oil until 1937. 58,000 tons of hemp seeds were used in America for paint products in 1935; Sherman Williams Paint Co. testimony before Congress against the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act.

* Henry Ford's first Model-T was built to run on hemp gasoline and the CAR ITSELF WAS CONTRUCTED FROM HEMP! On his large estate, Ford was photographed among his hemp fields. The car, 'grown from the soil,' had hemp plastic panels whose impact strength was 10 times stronger than steel; Popular Mechanics, 1941.

* Hemp called 'Billion Dollar Crop.' It was the first time a cash crop had a business potential to exceed a billion dollars; Popular Mechanics, Feb., 1938.

* Mechanical Engineering Magazine (Feb. 1938) published an article entitled 'The Most Profitable and Desirable Crop that Can be Grown.' It stated that if hemp was cultivated using 20th Century technology, it would be the single largest agricultural crop in the U.S. and the rest of the world.

The following information comes directly from the United States Department of Agriculture's 1942 14-minute film encouraging and instructing 'patriotic American farmers' to grow 350,000 acres of hemp each year for the war effort:

'...(When) Grecian temples were new, hemp was already old in the service of mankind. For thousands of years, even then, this plant had been grown for cordage and cloth in China and elsewhere in the East. For centuries prior to about 1850, all the ships that sailed the western seas were rigged with hempen rope and sails. For the sailor, no less than the hangman, hemp was indispensable...

...Now with Philippine and East Indian sources of hemp in the hands of the Japanese...American hemp must meet the needs of our Army and Navy as well as of our industries...

...the Navy's rapidly dwindling reserves. When that is gone, American hemp will go on duty again; hemp for mooring ships; hemp for tow lines; hemp for tackle and gear; hemp for countless naval uses both on ship and shore. Just as in the days when Old Ironsides sailed the seas victorious with her hempen shrouds and hempen sails. Hemp for victory!'

Certified proof from the Library of Congress; found by the research of Jack Herer, refuting claims of other government agencies that the 1942 USDA film 'Hemp for Victory' did not exist.

Hemp cultivation and production do not harm the environment. The USDA Bulletin #404 concluded that Hemphemp produces 4 times as much pulp with at least 4 to 7 times less pollution. From Popular Mechanics, Feb. 1938:

'It has a short growing season...It can be grown in any state...The long roots penetrate and break the soil to leave it in perfect condition for the next year's crop. The dense shock of leaves, 8 to 12 feet above the ground, chokes out weeds.
...hemp, this new crop can add immeasurably to American agriculture and industry.'

In the 1930s, innovations in farm machinery would have caused an industrial revolution when applied to hemp. This single resource could have created millions of new jobs generating thousands of quality products. Hemp, if not made illegal, would have brought America out of the Great Depression.

William Randolph Hearst (Citizen Kane) and the Hearst Paper Manufacturing Division of Kimberly Clark owned vast acreage of timberlands. The Hearst Company supplied most paper products. Patty Hearst's grandfather, a destroyer of nature for his own personal profit, stood to lose billions because of hemp.

In 1937, Dupont patented the processes to make plastics from oil and coal. Dupont's Annual Report urged stockholders to invest in its new petrochemical division. Synthetics such as plastics, cellophane, celluloid, methanol, nylon, rayon, Dacron, etc., could now be made from oil. Natural hemp industrialization would have ruined over 80% of Dupont's business.


THE CONSPIRACY

Andrew Mellon became Hoover's Secretary of the Treasury and Dupont's primary investor. He appointed his future nephew-in-law, Harry J. Anslinger, to head the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.

Secret meetings were held by these financial tycoons. Hemp was declared dangerous and a threat to their billion dollar enterprises. For their dynasties to remain intact, hemp had to go. These men took an obscure Mexican slang word: 'marihuana' and pushed it into the consciousness of America.

MEDIA MANIPULATION

A media blitz of 'yellow journalism' raged in the late 1920s and 1930s. Hearst's newspapers ran stories emphasizing the horrors of marihuana. The menace of marihuana made headlines. Readers learned that it was responsible for everything from car accidents to loose morality.

Films like 'Reefer Madness' (1936), 'Marihuana: Assassin of Youth' (1935) and 'Marihuana: The Devil's Weed' (1936) were propaganda designed by these industrialists to create an enemy. Their purpose was to gain public support so that anti-marihuana laws could be passed.

Examine the following quotes from 'The Burning Question' aka REEFER MADNESS:

*

a violent narcotic.
*

acts of shocking violence.
*

incurable insanity.
*

soul-destroying effects.
*

under the influence of the drug he killed his entire family with an ax.
*

more vicious, more deadly even than these soul-destroying drugs (heroin, cocaine) is the menace of marihuana!

Reefer Madness did not end with the usual 'the end.' The film concluded with these words plastered on the screen: TELL YOUR CHILDREN.

In the 1930s, people were very naive; even to the point of ignorance. The masses were like sheep waiting to be led by the few in power. They did not challenge authority. If the news was in print or on the radio, they believed it had to be true. They told their children and their children grew up to be the parents of the baby-boomers.

On April 14, 1937, the Prohibitive Marihuana Tax Law or the bill that outlawed hemp was directly brought to the House Ways and Means Committee. This committee is the only one that can introduce a bill to the House floor without it being debated by other committees. The Chairman of the Ways and Means, Robert Doughton, was a Dupont supporter. He insured that the bill would pass Congress.

Dr. James Woodward, a physician and attorney, testified too late on behalf of the American Medical Association. He told the committee that the reason the AMA had not denounced the Marihuana Tax Law sooner was that the Association had just discovered that marihuana was hemp.

Few people, at the time, realized that the deadly menace they had been reading about on Hearst's front pages was in fact passive hemp. The AMA understood cannabis to be a MEDICINE found in numerous healing products sold over the last hundred years.

In September of 1937, hemp became illegal. The most useful crop known became a drug and our planet has been suffering ever since.

Congress banned hemp because it was said to be the most violence-causing drug known. Anslinger, head of the Drug Commission for 31 years, promoted the idea that marihuana made users act extremely violent. In the 1950s, under the Communist threat of McCarthyism, Anslinger now said the exact opposite. Marijuana will pacify you so much that soldiers would not want to fight.

Today, our planet is in desperate trouble. Earth is suffocating as large tracts of rain forests disappear. Pollution, poisons and chemicals are killing people. These great problems could be reversed if we industrialized hemp. Natural biomass could provide all of the planet's energy needs that are currently supplied by fossil fuels. We have consumed 80% of our oil and gas reserves. We need a renewable resource. Hemp could be the solution to soaring gas prices.

THE WONDER PLANT

Hemp has a higher quality fiber than wood fiber. Far fewer caustic chemicals are required to make paper from hemp than from trees. Hemp paper does not turn yellow and is very durable. The plant grows quickly to maturity in a season where trees take a lifetime.

ALL PLASTIC PRODUCTS SHOULD BE MADE FROM HEMP SEED OIL. Hempen plastics are biodegradable! Over time, they would break down and not harm the environment. Oil-based plastics, the ones we are very familiar with, help ruin nature; they do not break down and will do great harm in the future. The process to produce the vast array of natural (hempen) plastics will not ruin the rivers as Dupont and other petrochemical companies have done. Ecology does not fit in with the plans of the Oil Industry and the political machine. Hemp products are safe and natural.

MEDICINES SHOULD BE MADE FROM HEMP. We should go back to the days when the AMA supported cannabis cures. 'Medical Marijuana' is given out legally to only a handful of people while the rest of us are forced into a system that relies on chemicals. Pot is only healthy for the human body.

WORLD HUNGER COULD END. A large variety of food products can be generated from hemp. The seeds contain one of the highest sources of protein in nature. ALSO: They have two essential fatty acids that clean your body of cholesterol. These essential fatty acids are not found anywhere else in nature! Consuming pot seeds is the best thing you could do for your body. Eat uncooked hemp seeds.

CLOTHES SHOULD BE MADE FROM HEMP. Hemp clothing is extremely strong and durable over time. You could hand clothing, made from pot, down to your grandchildren. Today, there are American companies that make hemp clothing; usually 50% hemp. Hemp fabrics should be everywhere. Instead, they are almost underground. Superior hemp products are not allowed to advertise on fascist television. Kentucky, once the top hemp producing state, made it ILLEGAL TO WEAR hemp clothing! Can you imagine being thrown into jail for wearing quality jeans?

The world is crazy...but that does not mean you have to join the insanity. Get together. Spread the news. Tell people, and that includes your children, the truth. Use hemp products. Eliminate the word 'marijuana.' Realize the history that created it. Make it politically incorrect to say or print the M-word. Fight against the propaganda (designed to favor the agenda of the super rich) and the bullshit. Hemp must be utilized in the future. We need a clean energy source to save our planet. INDUSTRIALIZE HEMP!

The liquor, tobacco and oil companies fund more than a million dollars a day to Partnership for a Drug-Free America and other similar agencies. We have all seen their commercials. Now, their motto is: ‘It's more dangerous than we thought.’ Lies from the powerful corporations, that began with Hearst, are still alive and well today.

The brainwashing continues. Now, the commercials say: If you buy a joint, you contribute to murders and gang wars. The latest anti-pot commercials say: If you buy a joint...you are promoting TERRORISM! The new enemy (terrorism) has paved the road to brainwash you any way THEY see fit.

There is only one enemy; the friendly people you pay your taxes to; the war-makers and nature destroyers. With your funding, they are killing the world right in front of your eyes. HALF A MILLION DEATHS EACH YEAR ARE CAUSED BY TOBACCO. HALF A MILLION DEATHS EACH YEAR ARE CAUSED BY ALCOHOL. NO ONE HAS EVER, EVER DIED FROM SMOKING POT!! In the entire history of the human race, not one death can be attributed to cannabis. Our society has outlawed grass but condones the use of the KILLERS: TOBACCO and ALCOHOL. Hemp should be declassified and placed in DRUG stores to relieve stress. Hardening and constriction of the arteries are bad; but hemp usage actually enlarges the arteries...which is a healthy condition. We have been so conditioned to think that: Smoking is harmful. That is NOT the case for passive pot.

Ingesting THC, hemp's active agent, has a positive effect; relieving asthma and glaucoma. A joint tends to alleviate the nausea caused by chemotherapy. You are able to eat on hemp. This is a healthy state of being.

{One personal note: During the pregnancy of my wife, she was having some difficulty gaining weight. We were in the hospital. A nurse called us to one side and said: ‘Off the record, if you smoke pot...you'd get something called the munchies and you’ll gain weight.' I swear that is a true story}.

The stereotype for a pothead is similar to a drunk, bubble-brain. Yet, the truth is one’s creative abilities can be enhanced under its influence. The perception of time slightly slows and one can become more sensitive. You can more appreciate all arts; be closer to nature and generally FEEL more under the influence of cannabis. It is, in fact, the exact opposite state of mind and body as the drunken state. You can be more aware with pot.

The pot plant is an ALIEN plant. There is physical evidence that cannabis is not like any other plant on this planet. One could conclude that it was brought here for the benefit of humanity. Hemp is the ONLY plant where the males appear one way and the females appear very different, physically! No one ever speaks of males and females in regard to the plant kingdom because plants do not show their sexes; except for cannabis. To determine what sex a certain, normal, Earthly plant is: You have to look internally, at its DNA. A male blade of grass (physically) looks exactly like a female blade of grass. The hemp plant has an intense sexuallity. Growers know to kill the males before they fertilize the females. Yes, folks...the most potent pot comes from 'horny females.'

The reason this amazing, very sophisticated, ET plant from the future is illegal has nothing to do with how it physically affects us…..

…POT IS ILLEGAL BECAUSE BILLIONAIRES WANT TO REMAIN BILLIONAIRES!

ps: I think the word ‘DRUGS’ should not be used as an umbrella-word that covers all chemical agents. Drugs have come to be known as something BAD. Are you aware there are LEGAL drugstores?! Yep, in every city. Unbelievable. Each so-called drug should be considered individually. Cannabis is a medicine and not a drug. We should DARE to speak the TRUTH no matter what the law is.

Every year 1/2 million American citizens die due to diseases associated with the use of alcohol and tobacco. Even though it is estimated that over 10 million people in this country use marijuana regularly, there is not a single death recorded in the medical literature from any disease associated with its use. Yet in 1999 our governments arrested over 700,000 Americans for violation of marijuana law (88% for simple possession) at an annual cost to taxpayers of over $9 billion.

Even more outrageous is the intransigent attitude our federal government maintains towards the issue of marijuana for medical purposes. Even though California and eight other states have legalized marijuana for medical use, the federal government does everything in its power to thwart the legitimate will of the people of these nine states. It rattles its sabers and threatens doctors with revocation of their right to prescribe drugs if they recommend marijuana to any of their patients. It took a federal court order forbidding the government from threatening doctors to get the federal government to back down.

Why would our government deny medicine to people that their personal physicians believe would be of benefit to them? Study after study after study has shown the medical benefits of marijuana for treating glaucoma, arthritis, chronic back pain, AIDS Wasting Syndrome, nausea from cancer chemotherapy and other medical conditions. It makes no sense until one realizes that there is an enormous industry that thrives on prohibition. Police, prosecutors, prison guards and a whole army of social workers gain their employment only through prohibitionist policies. The power wielded by these agencies and their directors should not be ignored either as to why they refuse to even consider that marijuana might have legitimate uses.

In 1938 cannabis was withdrawn from the American public against the advise of the medical community. Hemp was excluded from the Class II schedule of drugs (having demonstrated medical value) and listed as a Class I (dangerous substance with no know medical value) by the Nixon administration in 1970 - despite all evidence to the contrary - and was retained as Class I by the Bush administration in 1989.

In 1972 the Nixon-appointed Shafer Commission urged that use of cannabis be re-legalized, which was not done. Still, medical research continued, often with remarkable results.

In 1988, DEA administrative law Judge Francis Young found after thorough hearings that marijuana had clearly established medical use and should be reclassified as a prescription drug.

In 1990 California Drug Advisory Board recommends legal cultivation of marijuana.

In 1991, 80% of San Francisco voters vote to legalize medicinal use of marijuana.

In 1992 the federal government, in callous disregard for the suffering, ends the Medical Marijuana Program. The conscience of the nation speaks with outrage at this political decision over a medical issue.


Doctors See Marijuana as Medicine

"This medicine works." - Dean Edell, M.D., ABC-TV Medical Advisor

"Physicians should also be allowed to prescribe marijuana to supplement cancer therapy, AIDS and eye treatments." - Ivan J. Silverber, M.D., Oncologist

"Let physicians alleviate suffering." - Tod Mikuriya, M.D., Psychiatrist

"This medicine does no harm to the patient and is effective in relieving pain and nausea." - Dr. Richard Cohen, Chief Oncologist, California Pacific Hospital

"Marijuana has been shown to be safe and effective, particularly for nausea, in people being treated for cancer, AIDS, and other serious illnesses." - David Siegel, MD, MPH; Normal Hearst, MD, MPH; Thomas J. Coates, Ph.D.; Stephen B. Hulley, MD; Leon H. McKusick, Ph.D.; Susan M Kegeles, Ph.D.; Susan M. Rubin, MPH; Mark T. Gould; Joey Taylor; Robert H. Hilliard, MA; Eve Golden, MS; Robert M Thomas; Lee Middleton; William Wolf; Susan Folkman, Ph.D.; Michelle Berlin, MD; William J. Woods, Ph.D.; Locelyn Lighthill; David R. Gibson, Ph.D.; Larry Osborn; Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California at San Francisco

U.S. GOVERNMENT COVERS UP MARIJUANA CANCER CURE PROOF!

Last year, Spanish scientists found evidence that marijuana can destroy tumors in rats. But that came as no surprise to U.S. health officials, who quickly deep-sixed the report. Drug-war-obsessed federal officials have known about the cancer-beating properties of pot for more than 25 years and have kept it a secret from the public!

STOP THE TORTURE OF SICK PEOPLE(S) NOW!!!

Here You will find "Herbal" Alternatives to "man made poisons"!

For indepth Medical Marijuana Information,

Please visit our "Links" page.

THE ANSWER TO ALL HEALTH PROBLEMS...CANNABIS!

IOWA MINISTRY'S HERBAL REMEDIES:

"Alliums"- Cleanses the blood,clears cough & congestion,and protects against common colds. also stimulates appitite and aids in digestion.

"Aloe Vera"- Burns,cuts,scratches,& sunburns.

"CANNABIS"- Everything...Amen! (see Marijuana).

"Caraway"- Aids in digestion & sweetens the breath.

"Catnip"(kittyweed)- Contains vitamin C. As a tea: it relieves colds and fevers,headaches & upset stomaches. cats dig it too!

"Cayenne"- Circulatory stimulant,helps blood pressure,and it is an antioxidant.

"Chamomile"- Made into a tea it is a general tonic sedative. used in a bath :relieves sun,or windburn skin.

"Dandelion"- Anti-inflammatory,treats Rheumatism,and increases bile flow.

"Echinacea" (purple cone flower)- Relieves cold & flu and minor infections. also a blood purifier.

"Evening Primrose"- it's seeds oil is used for Asthma,migraines,P.M.S (look out!),diabetes,arthritis,and a treatment for Alcoholism. Used as a tea :(whole plant) it is used to treat Obesity.

"Feverfew"- used to treat fevers,headaches,and can be applied externally to relieve pain.

"Goldenseal"- Anti-oxidant, used as a tea: it cleans out toxins in your body. (commonly used for urine tests). also used to treat colds & inflammation.

"Hens & Chicks"- used like an Aloe: apply to insect bites,stings,warts,and skin blemishes. also cuts and corns. apply to corns: to soften the skin,next soak feet in hot water.then attempt to remove dead skin. used as a tea: for Bronchitis,mouth ulcers and sores.

(can also be eaten in a salad).

"Horehound"- used as a hot tea :it treats: coughs, scratchy or sore throats. used as a cold tea: indigestion ,heartburn,and to destroy intestinal worms.(really,wow!)...try it on your pets before the vets!

"Lavender"- Flowers used as a tea or aroma therapy: to soothe headaches and to calm nerves. The stalks are used for smudge sticks.

"Lemon Balm"- used as a tea: relieves fevers,colds,and headaches. used in aroma therapy: for Depression.

"MARIJUANA"- Everything...Hallelujah!

Marijuana is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known. No one has ever died from an overdose, and it has a wide variety of therapeutic applications, including:

Relief from nausea and appetite loss;
Reduction of intraocular (within the eye) pressure;
Reduction of muscle spasms; and
Relief from chronic pain.

Marijuana is frequently beneficial in the treatment of the following conditions:

AIDS. Marijuana can reduce the nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite caused by the ailment itself and by various AIDS medications.

Glaucoma. Marijuana can reduce intraocular pressure, alleviating the pain and slowing-and sometimes stopping-damage to the eyes. (Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in the United States. It damages vision by increasing eye pressure over time.)

Cancer. Marijuana can stimulate the appetite and alleviate nausea and vomiting, which are common side effects of chemotherapy treatment.

Multiple Sclerosis. Marijuana can limit the muscle pain and spasticity caused by the disease, as well as relieving tremor and unsteadiness of gait. (Multiple sclerosis is the leading cause of neurological disability among young and middle-aged adults in the United States.)

Epilepsy. Marijuana can prevent epileptic seizures in some patients.

Chronic Pain. Marijuana can alleviate the chronic, often debilitating pain caused by myriad disorders and injuries.

"Marjorams & Oregano"- used as tea: colds,headaches,and irratibility. as an essential oil: add to bath to soothe mind & body.

Since 1978, 36 states have passed legislation recognizing marijuana's therapeutic value in a variety of ailments. But for 60 years, the federal government has prohibited its use in any form, even though not a single death has been linked to marijuana's medical use.
Politics distinguish marijuana from other potential pharmaceuticals, preventing it from undergoing the scientific testing that any new drug must undergo. Scientists can legally get marijuana only from one federally regulated farm, and research requests often have been denied. Meanwhile, thousands of sick people must get or grow the plant illegally, risking prosecution and exposure to product impurities.
Because research has been so stymied, the spectrum of expert opinions on marijuana's future in medicine ranges widely. "We have 5,000 years of recorded experience to show us it's not toxic," says Lester Grinspoon, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and co-author of Marihuana, the Forbidden Medicine (Yale University Press, 1997). "In fact, the U.S. government has spent millions of do1lars trying to prove toxicity but has come up with nothing."
Qthers are more cautious. "A lot of positive anecdotal data doesn't mean it's safe," says toxicologist and pharmacist James O'Brien, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington. "As for any drug, we need clinical trials to determine its value as well as the best dosages, purity standards and methods of using it."

Is Reefer Madness?
Cannabis (marijuana's Latin name) was widely prescribed in the United States for pain relief until it was made illegal in 1937. In 1970, despite copious anecdotal evidence of its effectiveness and safety, the Drug Enforcement Administration designated it a "Schedule I" drug, meaning that like heroin, it's considered unsafe, with no recognized therapeutic value and a high potential for abuse. (Reclassifying it as a Schedule 2 drug would let doctors prescribe it.) In 1976, the U.S, Food and Drug Administration began a compassionate Investigational New Drug program allowing government-sanctioned marijuana use in certain medical cases. In the late '70s and early '80s, more than 35 states passed legislation establishing marijuana research programs. Most were rendered defunct by Federal regulations.
The IND program was suspended in 1991 because the flood of applicants resulting from AIDS was seen as an obstacle to the Bush administration's war on drugs. Today, only eight people use marijuana legally in this country because of a grandfather clause. But years of anecdotal evidence and at least 65 human studies established medicinal marijuana use as legitimate for these conditions:

* Cancer The best-substantiated use is to relieve chemotherapy-induced nausea, vomiting and appetite loss. A 1991 Harvard Medical School survey of 1,035 oncologists found that 54 percent favored making marijuana a prescription drug; 44 percent said they'd broken the law by suggesting that patients get it illegally.
* AIDS Marijuana's ability to combat "wasting syndrome" by increasing appetite has been well-documented.
* Glaucoma By reducing pressure in the eye caused by fluid buildup, inhaled marijuana can slow or halt this sight-robbing disease. Many ophthalmologists counter that marijuana can accelerate vision loss by reducing blood flow to the optic nerve, and that new glaucoma drugs make it unnecessary.
* Multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury Marijuana may relieve muscle pain and spasms, tremors and urinary incontinence.
* Epilepsy, related disorders Might help prevent seizures in up to 30 percent of patients not helped by standard drugs.
* Pain Marijuana may be helpful for migraine headaches; inflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, scleroderma and lupus; colitis; Crohn's disease; and menstrual cramps and premenstrual syndrome. This use is well worth investigating: In 1996, more than 7,000 Americans died of gastric bleeding from taking aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen

Marijuana Myths: Ten Most Common Concerns About Cannabis
1. Marijuana contains hundreds of compounds/chemicals.
2. Marijuana is stronger today and therefore more dangerous.
3. If used as a plant the dosage cannot be controlled.
4. Marijuana is dangerous because it is smoked.
5. Marijuana destroys the immune system.
6. Marijuana is highly addictive.
7. Marijuana is a gateway drug.
8. Marijuana use during pregnancy will cause fetal problems.
9. A legal, marijuana pill is already available.
10.The medical use of marijuana sends a message to teens that it is not a dangerous drug
and may therefore encourage use by teens.