HempNews

February 9, 2010 – There are at this time 14 states that have made the use of marijuana for medical purposes legal – but Missouri is not one of them.

There are, however, patients who reside in Missouri who believe that they could benefit from legalizing medical marijuana – and one of them is heading up efforts to lobby for the legalization of medical marijuana in her state, according to a feature on KY3.com.

medical marijuanaSherry Cooper of Mountain View, Missouri shares what her life is like at this time. She has been diagnosed fibromyalgia and has been living with the pain associated with the disease over the past two to three years. Her day is filled with pills – and more pills – from the time she wakes up. There are days when there is a need for her to down as much as 13 prescription painkillers and deal with their side effects.

Cooper shares: “They could cause you to have thoughts of suicide and all. Nausea — that medication is one of the most nauseating meds I’ve ever taken.”

Medical marijuana can change that. Cooper believes that using pot can significantly reduce pain symptoms within a short period of time – cutting pain by almost half of its original intensity in as short as half an hour. And these quick results do not have side effects to accompany them, she shares.

At this time, Cooper is trying to rally other supporters behind her cause, doing her searching online. According to the KY3 feature, a bill has already been introduced in the House but has not been assigned to a legislative committee.

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February 9, 2010 – Kansas was the first state to embrace alcohol prohibition, and one of the last to end it.

Now, could it become the 15th to pass medical marijuana? Yesterday, Kansas state Representative Gail Finney (D-Wichita) introduced a medical marijuana bill.

Finney suffers from lupus, which makes her sympathetic to those with diseases such as cancer and HIV, and Finney thinks the chronically ill should be allowed to use the medicine that works best for them without having to fear being arrested or thrown in jail. Her bill would set up state-registered “compassionate care centers,” where those with recommendations from doctors could safely obtain marijuana for the treatment of pain or a debilitating illness. Finney’s bill also makes sure the money generated from medical marijuana stays in Kansas by requiring that the marijuana be grown in the Sunflower State.

However, not all Kansas lawmakers are as informed and compassionate as Rep. Finney. Rep. Scott Schwab (R-Olathe) says that marijuana “has no benefit for pain management,” and that, “all it does is make you crave another bag of chips.” Mr. Schwab should do his homework before he speaks. It’s not theory that marijuana is medicine; it’s fact, backed by 5,000 years of recorded history. Research has shown that marijuana relieves symptoms like nausea, appetite loss, muscle spasms, and certain types of pain. This evidence has been acknowledged by the American College of Physicians, the American Nurses Association, and many other reputable health organizations.

Will the rest of the nation follow Kansas’ lead? We sure hope so.