Pubdate: Fri, 23 Aug 2002
Source: Ottawa Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2002, Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact:  http://www.fyiottawa.com/ottsun.shtml
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/329
Author: Ron Johnson
Note: Parenthetical remark by the Sun editor, headline by newshawk

CANNABIS BENEFITS

As a federal exemptee for the use of cannabis as a medicine for total 
control of my multiple seizures and the severe chronic nerve pain that I 
received at the hands of the almighty doctors, I find the latest news from 
the not so Hon. Anne McLellan to be an outrage to the sick of this country.

After under going two brain surgeries that the "doctors" said would cure my 
seizures, which they did not, I now have to listen to the same bunch of 
fools lie about the benefits of cannabis. I tried their toxic pills for 
seven years with no effects, except for my health getting worse.

Since I've been smoking the dreaded marijuana my health and quality of life 
has been 100% better. Anyone who believes McLellan and Dr. Raju Hajela 
should do some research of their own for the only enemy of truth is very 
often not the lie but the myth -- persistent, persuasive and unrealistic. 
We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.

When democracy comes down to one person's opinion, Anne McLellan and her 
outright lie, then surely there can be no democracy. The decision of the 
Ontario Court of Appeal in the Parker case should now be brought back to 
the forefront and upheld in the face of lying politicians.

As for cannabis being a gateway drug to harder drugs I can say from 
experience it's utter nonsense. Never have I had the urge to try anything 
else. And the theory that one joint equals 5, 10 or 15 cigarettes is just 
another lie to confuse the issue.

Ron Johnson

(Careful what you call a lie -- you don't want to cure your seizures by 
smoking pot but drop dead of lung cancer)
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MAP posted-by: Alex