Jacob Bell
New Member
CLIFTON — A frustrated City native continues to fight a severe medical condition whose symptoms are extinguished by a natural, yet controversial, drug which he may not be able to possess legally until 2012.
Unfortunately for 23-year-old Tim DaGiau, an epileptic who has suffered from violent seizures since he was 10, that drug is marijuana and state law prohibits him from purchasing, possessing or using it while in New Jersey.
DaGiau spent a decade enduring every medical procedure and medication Western medicine had to offer. He tried 12 different medications and underwent two brain surgeries. Both avenues, he said, ended in failure and the last surgery left DaGiau paralyzed on his left side for several months.
It was not until his senior year in high school, as an 18-year-old, that he tried to treat his condition utilizing marijuana, a method which he used regularly while attending college in a state which granted medical marijuana use.
"My seizure patterns diminished to nearly zero - a reduction from about 15 per month - and I turned around my life," he said. "The absence of social anxiety allowed for me to become heavily involved and assertive."
Sixteen states have legalized the use of medical cannabis and, although it remains a hot-button issue around the country, it is not yet available to New Jersey patients, like DaGiau, who say they benefit greatly from its use. However, according to recent reports, it could be some time, likely 2012, before prescriptions are honored.
Shortly before former Gov. Jon Corzine left office, the state legalized the use of cannabis by patients with specific medical conditions. The law's initiation faced extensive delays, however, as state legislators quarreled over regulatory parameters.
"Since Governor Christie has been fighting this law, marijuana is far from available," DaGiau said.
His frustrated mother, Kathy DaGiau echoed her son's statements.
"I do not know why the Governor is holding up this drug, but I believe people who stand in the way of legalizing [marijuana] for medical use have never been through what our family has faced," she said. "We are not proponents of legalizing it for non-medical reasons and believe that it should be closely regulated."
In July, Gov. Chris Christie eased his opposition to the legislation and announced the state would advance with its medical marijuana program. Roseanne Scotti, New Jersey State director of the Drug Policy Alliance, the organization which spearheaded the effort to pass the legislation, applauded the decision.
"We are absolutely thrilled that the governor has decided to move forward with the program and we hope that officials in other states who are contemplating options for their programs will follow New Jersey's lead," Scotti said at the time.
DaGiau, on the other hand, is not as optimistic.
"It takes about three months to grow, dry and cure, so it's not going to be available for quite some time," he said. "There will be major issues over this poorly thought-out aspect."
Six nonprofit organizations have been licensed to grow and sell medical marijuana to patients who have registered with the state's Medicinal Marijuana Program and been certified by their physician that they suffer from a debilitating condition, according to the N.J. Health Department.
Epilepsy and seizure disorder are among qualifying conditions such as multiple sclerosis and glaucoma, which warrants the prescription and use of the drug.
The state has yet to complete a comprehensive registry to approve patients and therefore medical marijuana has yet to be legally sold anywhere in New Jersey.
The timing of the delays couldn't be worse for DaGiau, who returned to Clifton in May after attending college in Colorado where he was able to legally attain medical marijuana.
"It was days, maybe four, before I began seizing [again]," he said. "Last Thursday, while exiting the Lincoln Tunnel into New Jersey, I began seizing. The bus had to be pulled aside, an ambulance came and I ended up in St. Mary's emergency room."
The ER visit marked the 27th ambulance trip since his 10th birthday.
The ordeal has left his mother, and father Gary, heartbroken to see their son suffer unnecessarily.
"When you see your child exhaust every other possibility, and suffer mentally and physically, you want to do almost anything to see some improvement," Kathy said. "He was not able to visit New Jersey during the holidays since he felt he needed to remain in a state where medical use of this drug is granted. But, now that he is home without this drug his condition appears to be steadily worsening and we fear for his welfare."
DaGiau said because he has grown reliant on the anti-epileptics he has taken for 13 years, he will continue to experience the seizures while traveling on the subway, walking the streets or while interning at the two public relation firms where he works in New York City.
"I know it's coming, and all I can do is hope it doesn't cause scars all over my face," he added. "But it's actually given me strength because I've decided to wait for it to be legal. It's a difficult bout but I don't ever want to be considered a criminal or a stoner."
John Wilson, a 38-year-old multiple sclerosis patient from Somerset, is facing a 5-year prison sentence for growing marijuana plants in his back yard which he said were for personal use. Wilson's symptoms were headache, blurred vision and numbness from the waist down. Typically, the symptoms of MS worsen over time and may progress to total paralysis and death.
On Aug. 16, Wilson appealed the conviction a month after an appeals court ruled that a judge has the right to bar his testimony that the marijuana was grown for personal use to alleviate his MS condition. The court upheld his five-year sentence.
As divisive as the issue seems, DaGiau said he is "amazed" how the most conservative New Jerseyans he's talked to are able to disregard politics upon hearing how efficient cannabis is in quelling pain that "piles of pharmaceuticals" could not.
"I've met the worst epilepsy cases out there and if there's any avenue that can decrease their pain, why must they be judged? It's as simple as this: people are suffering," he said.
DaGiau has met numerous New Jersey patients who use cannabis illegally to effectively treat a multitude of conditions, from severe pain due to fibromyalgia to a friend who suffers from AIDS and finds that she doesn't vomit daily as she once did without it.
"It makes me extremely pessimistic to know that this girl, whose hair I've held back while she's vomited, is [considered] a stoner or a drug addict because she's illegally using marijuana," he said.
DaGiau said he wants to create a family support groups in North Jersey. While in Colorado he founded the first chapter of the Epilepsy Foundation on a college campus in the state.
"I never thought support was available, so I always fought the condition alone," he explained. "Then, at age 22, I realized that there actually have been support groups I never knew about so I am working to [expand] groups throughout New Jersey."
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: northjersey.com
Author: Tony Gicas
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: NorthJersey.com
Website: Medical marijuana out of reach for City man with epilepsy
Unfortunately for 23-year-old Tim DaGiau, an epileptic who has suffered from violent seizures since he was 10, that drug is marijuana and state law prohibits him from purchasing, possessing or using it while in New Jersey.
DaGiau spent a decade enduring every medical procedure and medication Western medicine had to offer. He tried 12 different medications and underwent two brain surgeries. Both avenues, he said, ended in failure and the last surgery left DaGiau paralyzed on his left side for several months.
It was not until his senior year in high school, as an 18-year-old, that he tried to treat his condition utilizing marijuana, a method which he used regularly while attending college in a state which granted medical marijuana use.
"My seizure patterns diminished to nearly zero - a reduction from about 15 per month - and I turned around my life," he said. "The absence of social anxiety allowed for me to become heavily involved and assertive."
Sixteen states have legalized the use of medical cannabis and, although it remains a hot-button issue around the country, it is not yet available to New Jersey patients, like DaGiau, who say they benefit greatly from its use. However, according to recent reports, it could be some time, likely 2012, before prescriptions are honored.
Shortly before former Gov. Jon Corzine left office, the state legalized the use of cannabis by patients with specific medical conditions. The law's initiation faced extensive delays, however, as state legislators quarreled over regulatory parameters.
"Since Governor Christie has been fighting this law, marijuana is far from available," DaGiau said.
His frustrated mother, Kathy DaGiau echoed her son's statements.
"I do not know why the Governor is holding up this drug, but I believe people who stand in the way of legalizing [marijuana] for medical use have never been through what our family has faced," she said. "We are not proponents of legalizing it for non-medical reasons and believe that it should be closely regulated."
In July, Gov. Chris Christie eased his opposition to the legislation and announced the state would advance with its medical marijuana program. Roseanne Scotti, New Jersey State director of the Drug Policy Alliance, the organization which spearheaded the effort to pass the legislation, applauded the decision.
"We are absolutely thrilled that the governor has decided to move forward with the program and we hope that officials in other states who are contemplating options for their programs will follow New Jersey's lead," Scotti said at the time.
DaGiau, on the other hand, is not as optimistic.
"It takes about three months to grow, dry and cure, so it's not going to be available for quite some time," he said. "There will be major issues over this poorly thought-out aspect."
Six nonprofit organizations have been licensed to grow and sell medical marijuana to patients who have registered with the state's Medicinal Marijuana Program and been certified by their physician that they suffer from a debilitating condition, according to the N.J. Health Department.
Epilepsy and seizure disorder are among qualifying conditions such as multiple sclerosis and glaucoma, which warrants the prescription and use of the drug.
The state has yet to complete a comprehensive registry to approve patients and therefore medical marijuana has yet to be legally sold anywhere in New Jersey.
The timing of the delays couldn't be worse for DaGiau, who returned to Clifton in May after attending college in Colorado where he was able to legally attain medical marijuana.
"It was days, maybe four, before I began seizing [again]," he said. "Last Thursday, while exiting the Lincoln Tunnel into New Jersey, I began seizing. The bus had to be pulled aside, an ambulance came and I ended up in St. Mary's emergency room."
The ER visit marked the 27th ambulance trip since his 10th birthday.
The ordeal has left his mother, and father Gary, heartbroken to see their son suffer unnecessarily.
"When you see your child exhaust every other possibility, and suffer mentally and physically, you want to do almost anything to see some improvement," Kathy said. "He was not able to visit New Jersey during the holidays since he felt he needed to remain in a state where medical use of this drug is granted. But, now that he is home without this drug his condition appears to be steadily worsening and we fear for his welfare."
DaGiau said because he has grown reliant on the anti-epileptics he has taken for 13 years, he will continue to experience the seizures while traveling on the subway, walking the streets or while interning at the two public relation firms where he works in New York City.
"I know it's coming, and all I can do is hope it doesn't cause scars all over my face," he added. "But it's actually given me strength because I've decided to wait for it to be legal. It's a difficult bout but I don't ever want to be considered a criminal or a stoner."
John Wilson, a 38-year-old multiple sclerosis patient from Somerset, is facing a 5-year prison sentence for growing marijuana plants in his back yard which he said were for personal use. Wilson's symptoms were headache, blurred vision and numbness from the waist down. Typically, the symptoms of MS worsen over time and may progress to total paralysis and death.
On Aug. 16, Wilson appealed the conviction a month after an appeals court ruled that a judge has the right to bar his testimony that the marijuana was grown for personal use to alleviate his MS condition. The court upheld his five-year sentence.
As divisive as the issue seems, DaGiau said he is "amazed" how the most conservative New Jerseyans he's talked to are able to disregard politics upon hearing how efficient cannabis is in quelling pain that "piles of pharmaceuticals" could not.
"I've met the worst epilepsy cases out there and if there's any avenue that can decrease their pain, why must they be judged? It's as simple as this: people are suffering," he said.
DaGiau has met numerous New Jersey patients who use cannabis illegally to effectively treat a multitude of conditions, from severe pain due to fibromyalgia to a friend who suffers from AIDS and finds that she doesn't vomit daily as she once did without it.
"It makes me extremely pessimistic to know that this girl, whose hair I've held back while she's vomited, is [considered] a stoner or a drug addict because she's illegally using marijuana," he said.
DaGiau said he wants to create a family support groups in North Jersey. While in Colorado he founded the first chapter of the Epilepsy Foundation on a college campus in the state.
"I never thought support was available, so I always fought the condition alone," he explained. "Then, at age 22, I realized that there actually have been support groups I never knew about so I am working to [expand] groups throughout New Jersey."
News Hawk- Jacob Ebel 420 MAGAZINE
Source: northjersey.com
Author: Tony Gicas
Contact: Contact Us
Copyright: NorthJersey.com
Website: Medical marijuana out of reach for City man with epilepsy
