Who’s the Crim? The STATE or Rosie

by Rosie

I'd been a recreational partaker of cannabis for many years - not liking the effects of alcohol and the problems associated with drinking on myself and others - I had used cannabis as a relaxant, much like one would have a quite drink in the evening I would share a joint and chat witch friends.

But It wasn't until I became sick that I discovered the real value of cannabis.

I had heard that there were experiments happening throughout the world on the medicinal use of cannabis but I never really thought that much about It , no for me cannabis was for relaxation, attitude adjustment .

If I smoked It when I had toothache It enhanced the pain so I wasn't really sure that It could help as a painkiller. If anything I was vaguely skeptical about the idea of it having any real medicinal value - even after I got the pain that didn’t go away for 2 weeks and I’d smoked cannabis regularly saying to people 'thank god I have this' because it alleviated all my symptoms, and when I went to hospital the first time and used only cannabis as my painkiller- I still had not attached any real thought to the fact that it was really one of the best painkillers available for me for what I was suffering from -

I did think It was a shame that I had to sneak out of the hospital to administer my chosen medicine - but I guess I was used to that - It was always a crime - albeit victimless - to use cannabis for whatever purpose.

The second time I went to hospital the pains were more Intense and I struggled through a gourmet of heavy painkillers for 2 days until the drip was removed from my arm and I could once again go outside the hospital and administer my own painkillers. By now I was sold on the fact that cannabis definitely had medicinal uses - what was It about cannabis that took away the pain - the pain was still there - but like the drug they use In the dentist It took away the worry about It, I felt relaxed, and by relaxing the tenseness went out of my body and the pain eased, my head floated vaguely and I’d laugh, for a while

I was In control of the pain and I could think rationally again - the nausea would go, my appetite would feel better - It was so much easier to a have puff on a joint than to swallow too many of those pills that mess with your stomach, kidneys and liver etc, which didn’t really work anyway.

Cannabis should be available legally for those that need to use It medicinally - why should we have to leave a hospital to take our painkillers - why should we not be able to tell our doctors what painkillers we use - and now - for me It has become a grovel to even find It since the law objected to my growing It for my own use and removed It for whose protection? so what happens If the pain returns -------

Rosie 10/12/2000