Medical Marijuana: Legalize It

You had to know it was coming...Kim is going to talk about medical marijuana.  Yep, it is true.  I am 100% for the use of medical marijuana.  If I could, I would give it to my girls today.  But, I can't...legally. If you have been watching the news at all, you know this is a hot topic at the state house and actually around the United States.  Right now, 21 states including the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana.  Many other states have proposed legislation for this year.  Iowa WAS one of them until it failed to advance last month.  Yes, our state government found it more pertinent to legalize the use of fireworks than to pass a bill that would help to improve the quality of life of thousands of seriously ill Iowans.  Really?

Now I have educated myself about the use of marijuana to treat seizures and I am hopeful that it can help our girls someday.  I have also read and heard stories about how it helps people with other debilitating and life-threatening diseases.  Did you know medical marijuana has been approved to treat the following conditions in the states that have legalized use?  This is not a complete list by the way.  

1.Cancer
2. Epilepsy
3. Multiple Sclerosis
4. Parkinson's Disease
5. Huntington's Disease
6. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
7. Lou Gehrig's Disease
8. Terminally Ill - Hospice Care
9. Chronic Pain

 How many of you know someone who is affected with one of the above mentioned conditions?  Yes, all of you.  You probably know people who are affected with more than one of the above.  You may very well be affected yourself.  Is marijuana going to cure all of them?  No.  Can it help relieve the symptoms of the disease?  Yes.  Marijuana has been found to suppress cancer, reduce seizures, reduce blood pressure, reduce vomiting and nausea, alleviate pain and even inhibit HIV. It is a natural antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuro-protective.   Patients needing to use medical marijuana have tried traditional forms of treatment without relief.  For many, there are no other treatments available.

You do not have to smoke marijuana to receive benefits from the plant.  In our case, we would give the girls an oil that is high is CBD - the part of the plant that is not psychoactive (meaning they will NOT get high) and low in THC - the psychoactive ingredient.  Marijuana can be vaporized and also made into a tincture or capsule. There are other cannabinoids in marijuana other than THC that help treat illnesses.  So please do not think that everyone who uses medical marijuana will be smoking joints and getting high.  It is just not true!  I have included the below visual to help illustrate my point.

Many have asked me what they can do to help get this form of treatment legal in Iowa.  First of all, I would encourage you to educate yourself about it.  Many of you I know fully support it.  Many I know do not.  I ask you to educate yourself about it before making a judgement.  Iowa's most critically ill are not looking to get high for fun.  They are looking to have a better quality of life without constant pain.  They are looking to increase their quality of life while they live with a debilitating disease.  When they are in their last days on this earth, they are wanting to be able to spend time with their families in a conscious state, not a drug induced sleep.  We as parents of children with intractable epilepsy want our kids to be able to enjoy life with fewer seizures and not be in a constant state of worry that the next seizure is the one that will take their life. We are not asking for full legalization of marijuana.  Less than 1% of the population will qualify and it will be strictly regulated. We are asking for a program like what is currently being used in New Mexico.  You can easily Google their program to see how it is run if you want more information. Or, you can click here:  www.nmhealth.org/mcp

Second, I am asking you to reach out to your elected officials.  If you support it, please let them know and ask their stance on it. If they are not for it, ask them why. If you have a story how it could personally help someone you know, please share it.  If you need help with this, please let me know.  Many of our legislators are on board. Many others are admittedly uneducated but are willing to listen.  A few are just plain against it.   For my Adair County family and friends, you all know Clel Baudler is one of our biggest opponents.  I have contacted my old neighbor Clel and shared our personal story with him.  His reply to me was "Got your email. Looking it over. Putting it in my file."  (Copy and pasted straight from my email, word for word.)  Are we ever going to see him change his stance?  No, I am sure not.  But, he needs to hear from his constituents who do support it and who may or may not re-elect him this fall. So please, bend his ear and let him know how you feel.   

Please also don't forget to contact Governor Branstad and share your feelings with him. If you do not know who your elected officials are, click below and you can find out: 

https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/find

Lastly, share this blog or information with your friends and family and if they support it, have them contact their legislators.  The last poll I saw showed that 59% of Iowans are for legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes.  We need to make sure that our legislators hear from every single one of us.  We are getting closer to winning this fight and hopefully in the near future, marijuana will be a legal form of treatment for Iowa's most critically ill.

Kim