“My sister suffers extreme spasticity from MS, but medical marijuana is the only thing that has helped her.”

Here’s a testimonial from Winnebago County:

“Cannabis has proven medical benefits. It is impossible to overdose on, it is not a central nervous system depressor and can therefore be used in conjunction with many other drugs, it is safer to use than tylenol from a potential for death perspective, and it is far less addictive than opiate derivatives. It is less addictive than alcohol or tobacco — both legal products for recreational use which are regulated by the government despite causing numerous deaths, posing dangers not only to the users themselves but to innocent bystanders, and both increasing healthcare costs for the poor.

Marijuana does not cause cancer, violence, and has never been linked as a causative factor in child abuse and neglect, or domestic violence. It is clear that medical cannabis can replace many pharmaceuticals that cause horrid side effects and addiction and are frequently so expensive as to be unaffordable.

If cannabis had no medical benefit, drugs like Marinol and Sativex would not exist. My sister suffers extreme spasticity from MS, but medical marijuana is the only thing that has helped her. She has been forced to move to a medical marijuana friendly state in order to receive treatment to maintain her quality of life and extend her life span. To me, and many others, denial of access to cannabis is a human rights violation as well as a civil rights violation. The science is there, the medical community has spoken, the Board of Pharmacy was unanimous, and the outlawing of the substance was not based on science but rather racist hysteria. It’s time for the legislature to embrace the future rather than cower in a corner afraid of positive change.

–Winnebago County

Follow WeedPress on Facebook. If you’d like your story heard by legislators this next session, email me at jkarimi2007@hotmail.com, or write to me on the Iowa Patients for Medical Marijuana Facebook page. You can remain anonymous if you’d like. I’ll publish your story here on WeedPress and make sure politicians see it next year.