Robert Celt
New Member
Ignore the righteous bloviating by the naysayers. You know, the fortunate ones to whom pain and suffering do not go.
Listen instead to the ailing, the infirm, those riddled with pain from cancers, HIV/AIDS, autoimmune diseases or any of the countless debilitating medical conditions that shackle their lives. Between their cries, hear their testimonials about marijuana and how it has been a godsend, how the once-demonized drug has whisked much of their agony away. Take their words and take them to heart. Because they know.
Still there are the deniers, those who've steered clear of the storms of sickness. Good for them. But when asking about turbulent seas, I prefer to hear from an ancient mariner, not someone who's rarely been on a boat.
Because he knows.
The prayers of many of the sick in Pennsylvania may be answered as soon as Monday. After years of waiting and suffering, and being held hostage by prescription medications with side effects that can be as painful as the diseases themselves, many of those folks cheered upon learning the state House passed a medical marijuana bill on Wednesday. Although full implementation of the program is about two years away, help has peeked over the crest of the mountain.
The House vote was overwhelming: 149-43, with all voting Democrats and more than half of Republicans in support. Bucks County representatives who voted in favor of the bill were Republicans Marguerite Quinn, Bernie O'Neill, Kathy Watson and Frank Farry, and Democrats Steve Santarsiero, Tina Davis and John Galloway. County reps who voted against the bill were Republicans Craig T. Staats and Scott A. Petri. Republican Gene DiGirolamo was not on the House floor to vote. Montgomery County Republicans Todd Stephens, of Horsham, and Tom Murt, of Upper Moreland, also voted for the bill.
The Senate returns to session Monday, and may approve the bill as soon as then, and Gov. Tom Wolf, a proponent of medical marijuana, has said he will sign such a bill into law. This law is coming, and at long last for those who need it most.
Quinn had long been conflicted about such a program in the state due to what she said is a lack of science about the drug's efficacy. Many medical marijuana proponents disagree with that contention. She also cited non-approval of the drug by the Federal Drug Administration, which, quite unbelievably, continues to classify marijuana as a Schedule I drug, defined as having no currently accepted medical use, like heroin and LSD. Hogwash is a word; others can't be published in a family newspaper.
Quinn cited another reason for her support of the bill: Pennsylvania's program will be among the more restrictive in the country. That's disappointing, as New Jersey's medical marijuana program has been hamstrung for years due to state restrictions that many medical marijuana proponents believe are unnecessary.
"There's that," she said, "and we'll still have doctors' discretion which patients will get that pain relief."
I've sat with the ones who know, the ailing and pain-ridden that marijuana has helped. One gentleman from New Jersey, whose body is riddled with pain from multiple sclerosis, said his prescription medications were not only moderately effective, but killed his appetite. Life was a struggle. His son suggested marijuana, and he experienced immediate relief. His leg muscles loosened, allowing him to get out of his wheelchair, and his appetite returned. He threw his pills away. The reason he got his pot from the street? New Jersey's restrictive program. So, in Pennsylvania we shall see.
Quinn and many of her colleagues are to be lauded for doing the right thing this week. Hopefully, the Senate does the same.
Two years ago, Quinn's mother developed shingles, a viral infection that manifests itself in strips of extremely painful blisters on the body.
"When I saw her suffering, if there was anything I could have gotten my hands on to take her pain away, I would have done it," she said.
Anything to take the pain away.
Because she knows.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical Marijuana Answers Prayers For Many Pennsylvanians
Author: Phil Gianficaro
Photo Credit: None found
Website: The Intelligencer
Listen instead to the ailing, the infirm, those riddled with pain from cancers, HIV/AIDS, autoimmune diseases or any of the countless debilitating medical conditions that shackle their lives. Between their cries, hear their testimonials about marijuana and how it has been a godsend, how the once-demonized drug has whisked much of their agony away. Take their words and take them to heart. Because they know.
Still there are the deniers, those who've steered clear of the storms of sickness. Good for them. But when asking about turbulent seas, I prefer to hear from an ancient mariner, not someone who's rarely been on a boat.
Because he knows.
The prayers of many of the sick in Pennsylvania may be answered as soon as Monday. After years of waiting and suffering, and being held hostage by prescription medications with side effects that can be as painful as the diseases themselves, many of those folks cheered upon learning the state House passed a medical marijuana bill on Wednesday. Although full implementation of the program is about two years away, help has peeked over the crest of the mountain.
The House vote was overwhelming: 149-43, with all voting Democrats and more than half of Republicans in support. Bucks County representatives who voted in favor of the bill were Republicans Marguerite Quinn, Bernie O'Neill, Kathy Watson and Frank Farry, and Democrats Steve Santarsiero, Tina Davis and John Galloway. County reps who voted against the bill were Republicans Craig T. Staats and Scott A. Petri. Republican Gene DiGirolamo was not on the House floor to vote. Montgomery County Republicans Todd Stephens, of Horsham, and Tom Murt, of Upper Moreland, also voted for the bill.
The Senate returns to session Monday, and may approve the bill as soon as then, and Gov. Tom Wolf, a proponent of medical marijuana, has said he will sign such a bill into law. This law is coming, and at long last for those who need it most.
Quinn had long been conflicted about such a program in the state due to what she said is a lack of science about the drug's efficacy. Many medical marijuana proponents disagree with that contention. She also cited non-approval of the drug by the Federal Drug Administration, which, quite unbelievably, continues to classify marijuana as a Schedule I drug, defined as having no currently accepted medical use, like heroin and LSD. Hogwash is a word; others can't be published in a family newspaper.
Quinn cited another reason for her support of the bill: Pennsylvania's program will be among the more restrictive in the country. That's disappointing, as New Jersey's medical marijuana program has been hamstrung for years due to state restrictions that many medical marijuana proponents believe are unnecessary.
"There's that," she said, "and we'll still have doctors' discretion which patients will get that pain relief."
I've sat with the ones who know, the ailing and pain-ridden that marijuana has helped. One gentleman from New Jersey, whose body is riddled with pain from multiple sclerosis, said his prescription medications were not only moderately effective, but killed his appetite. Life was a struggle. His son suggested marijuana, and he experienced immediate relief. His leg muscles loosened, allowing him to get out of his wheelchair, and his appetite returned. He threw his pills away. The reason he got his pot from the street? New Jersey's restrictive program. So, in Pennsylvania we shall see.
Quinn and many of her colleagues are to be lauded for doing the right thing this week. Hopefully, the Senate does the same.
Two years ago, Quinn's mother developed shingles, a viral infection that manifests itself in strips of extremely painful blisters on the body.
"When I saw her suffering, if there was anything I could have gotten my hands on to take her pain away, I would have done it," she said.
Anything to take the pain away.
Because she knows.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical Marijuana Answers Prayers For Many Pennsylvanians
Author: Phil Gianficaro
Photo Credit: None found
Website: The Intelligencer