http://www.counterpunch.org/krassner10032008.html
Also at:
http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/101389/marijuana_is_real_medicine/
Dying to Get High
By PAUL KRASSNER
October 3 - 5, 2008
Dying to Get High: Marijuana as Medicine is an important and
accessible book--not heavy on academic jargon, but rather lively and
engaging, like a true detective novel--with a broad appeal to those
interested in the medical potential of cannabis, an end to the drug
war and grass roots activism. I asked the co-authors how working on
the book changed them.
WENDY CHAPKIS: "I certainly was one of those people who thought that
'medical marijuana' was probably mostly a way for Americans to get
around ridiculously punitive drug laws. It seemed like a reasonable
strategy to me. But the very first time I walked into a WAMM
[WoMen's Alliance for Medical Marijuana] membership meeting, looked
around the room and saw people who were ghostly white and frail,
people in wheelchairs, people huddled in small groups talking about a
WAMM member who needed round the clock care, I realized that medical
marijuana was no 'ruse.' These were very ill people. And, as I
started doing interviews, the stories of the medicinal properties of
pot blew me away.
"I wasn't the only one surprised to discover that marijuana did in
fact have therapeutic effects. Many patients were equally
astonished. Like me, they had been recreational users who
appreciated the pleasurable effects of marijuana and were suspicious
of the claim that the herb was medicine. Then they started
chemotherapy, for example, found themselves fighting off non-stop
nausea, took a hit and the nausea disappeared. Or they had
intolerable nerve pain from multiple sclerosis, AIDS or post-polio
syndrome, used some cannabis tincture and the pain quieted down. It
was funny how surprised we all were that it really worked.
"I think this shows how effective drug-war propaganda really
is. Even (or maybe especially) people who are very familiar with
marijuana are prepared to believe that it doesn't really work as a
medicine. Of course, since the discovery of the cannabinoid receptor
system in the body (and the production of endogenous cannabinoids),
scientists haven't been at all surprised at the medical properties of
the plant--which I guess helps explain why the feds have been so
reluctant to allow any scientific research.
"In any case, this research really transformed my understanding of
the effects of cannabis--including enriching my understanding of the
therapeutic effects of the so-called 'high.' The chapter on the high
is one of my favorites because I think even the medical marijuana
movement tends to downplay the psychoactive properties of the
drug. They talk a lot about relief of ocular pressure, anti-nausea
properties and the effect of cannabis on AIDS-wasting and relief of
neuropathic pain, but there is very little discussion of the ways in
which the psychoactive effects contribute to a sense of wellness for
those who are seriously ill. And that is no small thing."
RICHARD WEBB: "Working with the WAMM has, indeed, been a
transformative experience. I have learned a great deal, and formed
some of the most cherished and important relationships of my
lifetime, but perhaps the most profound change for me has been the
development of a new awareness of the importance of compassion and
forgiveness. Two events epitomize the many experiences that led to
this change.
"The Gay Pride festival in San Francisco has been one of WAMM's
most successful annual fundraising events. One year, I was working
T-shirt sales, and when I turned my back for a moment, someone in the
crowd stole a pile of shirts. Angry at the perpetrators and
embarrassed about my carelessness, I told Valerie Corral, WAMM's
executive director, about it, and all she said was, 'Well, let's hope
they get a good price for them, because they must need the money very
badly." Val's forgiveness was like an epiphany, a moment I will
never forget. It was as if a lifetime of blame and resentment had
been lifted from my heart, and I became suddenly aware of the deep
suffering that drives some people to behave badly.
"When I began my research on WAMM, one of the first people I got
close to was an HIV patient named John Taylor. As a result of his
illness, John was desperately poor and physically debilitated, but he
retained a sense of humor and joie de vivre that made him a pleasure
to be around. We eventually became best friends, and when at last
John's struggle against the disease became futile, I turned my living
room into a hospice facility and, with the assistance of many WAMM
members--most of whom were trying to manage their own devastating
ailments--I was able to provide John with a safe and comfortable
place to live out his final ten weeks.
"These experiences, and many others of a similar nature, have almost
completely altered my view of the world, my sense of who I am, and my
beliefs about what is most important in life."
Meanwhile, Barack Obama promises he would curb federal enforcement on
state medical mariuana suppliers. John McCain has actually ridiculed
patients who pleaded for more compassionate policies.
--
Paul Krassner edited Pot Stories For Soul, available at paulkrassner.com.
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