Pubdate: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 Source: Bradenton Herald (FL) Copyright: 2014 Bradenton Herald Contact: http://www.bradenton.com/submit-letter/ Website: http://www.bradenton.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/58 Author: Bob Perry Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v14/n791/a01.html MEDICAL CANNABIS VITAL FOR RELIEF FROM UNRELENTING PAIN My two cents regarding medical marijuana. Sheriff Brad Steube has a problem with "other" in regards to Amendment 2. I have not used drugs. I am not a marijuana smoker. I loathe the thought of taking prescription medications. They are all harmful with some amazing side effects. Three years ago I was diagnosed with something I never heard of, trigeminal neuralgia. Well, as it turns out, it could be an "other" as so casually pointed out by Mr. Steube. I have since been diagnosed with cluster headaches as well. Sounds minor, it's not! Both are called suicide diseases. Some of the most excruciating, unrelenting pains known to man. I would not wish these illnesses on my worst enemy. So why is Mr. Steube stepping up with hopes to sway the more elderly population of Manatee County with regards to Amendment 2? It's all about money. The prescription drug companies all started as panhandlers selling remedies to fix everything. Or so is my interpretation from some older westerns. They have since built a multibillion dollar industry. Some doctors talk down when it comes to marijuana. Why, you ask, they invest in drug companies heavily and promote those same products to their patients. Sort of like insider trading. Seems to me there should be some sort of SEC for doctors and drugs. They don't want to promote marijuana because there is no money to be made for them. Marijuana is a plant, grown from the ground, naturally. Dare I say it, with the fear of offending the atheists? Yes, I will. Just as God has provided the animals and plants that we consume for life and living, He so has provided a natural way to improve the quality of life that sufferers endure. This includes "other." Sorry, Mr. Steube. Bob Perry Bradenton - --- MAP posted-by: Richard