Pot Compassion

Show me compassion on pot.

Editor: I have been a resident of Burnaby for about 12 years. I have been suffering with a spinal injury and multiple sclerosis for seven or eight years. There isn't one day that goes by that I am not in pain. I have used various medications throughout the years and most of them make me sick.

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A friend of mine brought over a joint one night, and it really helped me relax and eased the muscle spasms so I could have a good night's sleep. I wasn't too crazy about smoking, because I gave up cigarettes five years ago, but if it gives me relief from the pain, I felt it was worth it.

The next time she visited she brought cookies and other baked goods from the Compassion Club. I tried them and they really worked for me, despite the fact that the pain relief did not come right away. So I now smoke when I need immediate relief, and eat a quarter or half of a cookie at night to sleep.

I asked my GP if he would sign the papers so I can access the Compassion Club for the marijuana I need. My doctor said "no way." But he will continue to give me a prescription for Demerol, which I have been using for almost four years.

I have to stop using Demerol sometimes because it make me sick. Is having someone on a narcotic for four years a better alternative? Shouldn't it be my choice? Instead of being allowed to access marijuana through the Compassion Club, which I feel is safe, I am forced to look on the streets. And we all know how dangerous that is.

I live in an apartment and don't smoke inside because the other tenants complain it stinks up the hallway. The alternative is that I smoke on my deck. That too has people complaining. I do not drink, I have no children, and I have chosen this route because I believe it helps me. Others in my building have drinking parties till all hours of the night, but that doesn't seem to bother people.

Do I not deserve a place in our society? Maybe if they tried to put themselves in my shoes they would understand. Please show some compassion!

Cynthia Thomas

Bibliography: mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n1028/a06.html
Source: Burnaby Now, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2004 Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc.