 | NORML News: Dying for a toke? |
 BY GREG SOAR, NORML News Summer 2003-4
Aotearoa is a land of great wealth and beauty. I am not talking about dollars and cents but the richness that living in a multicultural south pacific society brings to our lives. Being a smaller nation we can be proud to have led the way in many world firsts. The first Public Trust in 1873, women's right to vote in 1893, first lady mayor in 1894, conquering Mt Everest in 1953 to name a few.
Sadly however we seem to be lagging badly behind the rest of the world when it comes to issues of cannabis, especially the medicinal use of cannabis.
There is enough evidence to prompt countries like Canada, NSW, The Netherlands and others to allow cannabis use for medical benefit. The new Zealand Government however seems content to prolong the suffering of its citizens by repeatedly stalling on the issue. The latest catch cry from most of the political spectrum seems to be " wait - cannabis pills and sprays are almost here". It seems as if those who will suffer in the mean time really do not matter those who sit in the beehive casually dictating what will happen.
A person in need who benefits from a pill or spray delivery method of cannabis would be happy to use it but they are simply not yet available in this country.
People who live with HIV often have serious side effects caused by the medications they take. These may include insomnia, difficulty thinking, delusions, heart palpitations, severe nausea hallucinations and more. Nausea can be so bad that patients may vomit their medications out before they take effect and missing doses can and does lead to drug failure. Quality of life is severely compromised to the point some people may choose not to take the medications allowing the virus to do its work faster. Cannabis is an extremely powerful anti emetic. People die because they cannot stomach HIV medications without the help of cannabis, while the government tells them to wait.
Cancer patients often suffer the most debilitating nausea when under going chemotherapy. As with HIV medications this can be so severe that patients cannot eat, with some choosing to not have the treatment at all. Cannabis can stop or reduce this nausea more than any conventional medication and can save lives by allowing a patient to complete chemotherapy successfully.
Multiple Sclerosis suffers can gain huge benefit from cannabis use. There is a very dramatic reduction in spasticity when cannabis is used and this can be evidenced in a book titled " The Science of Marijuana" by Prof. Leslie Iversen, which is available from the local library. Any one who sees this evidence would surely not tell those with MS to wait until pills or sprays come on the market.
The current government feels it more important to make deals not to change cannabis law than to help the sick and suffering. The excuse that we can have cannabis when it is proven safe and fully tested is simply not taking into account the fact people will die and suffer in the meantime.
The price of cannabis on the black market effectively puts it out of the reach of many who desperately require the benefits to be gained. For our government to tell people to wait longer shows nothing but a callous disregard for their fellow citizens.
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