My open letter to President Barack Obama about medical marijuana

[Yavapai]

May 18, 2011

President Barack Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, DC

Dear Mr. President,

I am a 67 year old man who has debilitating osteoarthritis that causes severe pain in my fingers, wrists, knees and back. I have been treated for this for more than twenty years. Both of my wrists have been operated on with limited success.

Until about January of this year, I was using a cane to walk. When the pain in my back would get really bad, I would use both Soma, and hydrocodone for pain. These medications cause me to be very groggy and leaves me with severe constipation. I literally loathe taking them and fear complications from the use of these narcotic drugs..

I also suffer from stenosis in my feet. I have had two injections of steroids in my lumbar region to try and relieve the pain. They gave me relief for about 6 weeks and the pain has come back.

In desperation to get away from the pain in my feet, a friend offered to obtain marijuana and I accepted the offer. I started using it each night about 15 minutes before going to bed. It helped my feet somewhat, better than the prescriptions offered by my doctors. After about 30 days of use, I was amazed that I had no pain what-so-ever from my arthritis. My back pain was almost entirely eased, and the other arthritis pain has disappeared totally.

I stopped smoking it every night and cut it back to every third night, but the pain started coming back each time. I have found that if I smoke it every other night I am almost pain free. I now walk without the need for a cane. I can actually walk for exercise and work in my vegetable garden.

You promised when running for President, that you would not to go after anyone who was complying with state law. Now, that was not the reason at the time that I voted for you, as I didn’t use the substance then. But, I promise you, that I will vote for anyone else that runs against you in the coming 2012 election if this promise is not kept.

I worked for you during the campaign, by trying to convince all my friends to vote for you. Most of these people were “independents” and I think many did vote for you. That will end! I will post letters to the editor, post on several bulletin boards on-line and discourage everyone I know to vote you out of office.

The only reason that I can see for you to continue with this ludicrous war on a natural beneficial substance is that you are doing the bidding of the big pharma, and of the liquor cartel. These and the Mexican drug cartels are the only ones that I can see who could benefit from your policy


Charles A. Xxxxxx
xxxx xxxxxx xxxx xxxx
xxxxxxxxx, xxxxxxx, xxxxx

[Fridays Child]

1. You deserve relief from pain and you deserve...

...relief from "mortification of the flesh" theology that provides the specious rationale for perpetuating cruel public policies. :(

Thanks to the voters of Pima County, medical marijuana won approval in Arizona, in the last election. I hope it will soon be available to everyone in intractable pain.

[DesertFlower]

4. i'm in pain right now. i have scoliosis which affects my

entire spine. i took a vicodin a little while ago. waiting for it to "kick in". i also have chronic fatigue syndrome and have trouble sleeping even with klonopin and flexeril. my husband suggested i try marijuana. i'm in arizona too.

i don't know when it's going to be available. i'd be afraid to take it now. i wouldn't even know where to get it and if i got caught sheriff joe might put me in tent city.

[LiberalAndProud]

2. Eloquent.

And I really had no idea it could be that efficacious for pain. Awesome. It makes me want to pass my mom a joint just to see if she could experience the same relief. It's still illegal here, so I'd be making a criminal out of her, wouldn't I?

[Gravel Democrat]

6. no

the law itself is unconstitutional and criminal.

In a free country the citizens have the inherent right to use plants as they see fit.

Many people are helped with this plant, used for at least 10,000 years. It is an Herb, not a "Drug". Queen Elisabeth used it for cramps. Many others in history used it successfully for other ailments.

Do whatever it takes to see if it would help your mom. Maybe it won't but you won't know unless you try.

And just remember: You are a Free Person in a (supposedly) Free Land and using plants is Your Right. Americans of the early 1900's knew that the government couldn't just decide to make booze illegal. There was no Constitutional provision to do so. So they did what was required, and amended the document to fit their whims. And it was repealed when wisdom prevailed.

The Americans of the present day take it for granted that the Feds can decide what is illegal and what is not. Never forget that this is unconstitutional. Fight it until your last days. Stand up for your rights bought for you with the blood of the Founders.

Restore America. Sooner rather than Later.

[truedelphi]

8. Very eloquently put.

Most people in this country are expecting that someone else who they presume to be better than them, can tell them how to live their lives.

Smoking an herb that is nature's bounty should be one's own business.

[Mnemosyne]

3. Hear, hear! Thank you for sharing, Yavapai! K&R

I hope your relief is allowed to continue. We should not ever have to beg for it. :hug:

[Fly by night]

5. Great letter, and good on ya'. I am glad that the Goddess is bringing you relief.

When I have it available (which is not often these days), I usually medicate early in the morning with my quart of coffee and then go about my business. For me, doing it that way still brings on all the medical benefits (including aiding in getting restful sleep), whereas waiting until later in the day sometimes energizes me to the point where I don't want to go to bed. However, it is hard to work in the Garden in the pitch black.

Obama's flip-flop-flip-flop on medical marijuana is my biggest domestic disappointment with him. Just glad he hasn't turned the Predator missles on us yet, though before the raid on my farm, I had drones buzzing low overhead for quite a while.

Welcome to the land of the un-free and the need-to-be-brave. Keep up your own fight for science, common sense and compassion; as will I.

[Yavapai]

7. I am afraid that I may develop an allergy to it,

That when I use it I break out in handcuffs....

[Fly by night]

9. That has been known to happen, as with all great civil rights struggles.

They can't lock us all up, though some would like to try.

Just keep doing what you know is right and what brings you relief. And keep speaking truth to power. Obama gets it and, one of these days, he'll get around to doing it -- the right thing by that healing plant and those of us who use it respectfully and gratefully.

A good start would be to get rid of Michelle Leonhart, the DEA dragon queen; and to take Eric Holder to the woodshed on this issue. The next best thing would be for mmj-legal states to sue the hell out of the federal government en masse (which sounds like it is about to happen.)

[Kurovski]

10. K&R. (nt)