Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
About 21 years have gone by since George McMahon landed in the University of Iowa hospital.
He was suffering from kidney failure, a fractured spine, nausea and extreme pain. Doctors had not yet discovered the root of his problems, a rare genetic disorder called nail-patella syndrome. But they told him one thing: He probably wouldn't live through the night.
That evening, McMahon smoked a joint -- given to him by someone visiting an ailing cancer patient -- with the thought "Why not?" Later that night, he was able to eat. Ten days later, he left the hospital.
Now 59, the north-central Iowa man is one of four remaining members of a federal program that provides them with marijuana cigarettes every month.
McMahon smokes the joints several times a day to manage the symptoms caused by nail-patella syndrome, which causes abnormalities of bone, joints, fingernails and kidneys.
For McMahon, things are crystal clear: Marijuana is medicine, and it's the one treatment that has allowed him to live his life.
But the matter is far from settled.
This month, the Iowa Board of Pharmacy will hold the first of four public hearings to take arguments for and against allowing the use of marijuana as medicine. The board could make a recommendation to the Iowa Legislature based on the results. The last of the hearings will be Nov. 4 at Harrah's Casino & Hotel in Council Bluffs.
State Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, hopes the hearings give momentum to a bill he introduced this year that would have legalized medical marijuana. That bill stalled in committee. In 1993, a similar bill received unanimous approval in the Senate before dying in the House.
Thirteen states have legalized medical marijuana, though marijuana remains illegal under federal law. Medicinal marijuana is not legal in Nebraska.
One Omaha anti-drug advocate pointed to medical marijuana dispensaries that have cropped up in California and other states, which some critics say have made marijuana easier to access by those with no medical need for it.
To read the full article see: Sufferers Tell How Pot Eases Pain
News Hawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: Omaha World-Herald (NE)
Copyright: 2009 Omaha World-Herald Company
Contact: pulse@owh.com
Website: Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald
Author: Elizabeth Ahlin
He was suffering from kidney failure, a fractured spine, nausea and extreme pain. Doctors had not yet discovered the root of his problems, a rare genetic disorder called nail-patella syndrome. But they told him one thing: He probably wouldn't live through the night.
That evening, McMahon smoked a joint -- given to him by someone visiting an ailing cancer patient -- with the thought "Why not?" Later that night, he was able to eat. Ten days later, he left the hospital.
Now 59, the north-central Iowa man is one of four remaining members of a federal program that provides them with marijuana cigarettes every month.
McMahon smokes the joints several times a day to manage the symptoms caused by nail-patella syndrome, which causes abnormalities of bone, joints, fingernails and kidneys.
For McMahon, things are crystal clear: Marijuana is medicine, and it's the one treatment that has allowed him to live his life.
But the matter is far from settled.
This month, the Iowa Board of Pharmacy will hold the first of four public hearings to take arguments for and against allowing the use of marijuana as medicine. The board could make a recommendation to the Iowa Legislature based on the results. The last of the hearings will be Nov. 4 at Harrah's Casino & Hotel in Council Bluffs.
State Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, hopes the hearings give momentum to a bill he introduced this year that would have legalized medical marijuana. That bill stalled in committee. In 1993, a similar bill received unanimous approval in the Senate before dying in the House.
Thirteen states have legalized medical marijuana, though marijuana remains illegal under federal law. Medicinal marijuana is not legal in Nebraska.
One Omaha anti-drug advocate pointed to medical marijuana dispensaries that have cropped up in California and other states, which some critics say have made marijuana easier to access by those with no medical need for it.
To read the full article see: Sufferers Tell How Pot Eases Pain
News Hawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: Omaha World-Herald (NE)
Copyright: 2009 Omaha World-Herald Company
Contact: pulse@owh.com
Website: Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald
Author: Elizabeth Ahlin
