44 year old female professional portrait artist
I have used medical marijuana for about ten years, until May 3, 2001. That
is the day my husband and I were arrested and jailed. We were charged with
possession of 14 ounces of dried, frozen marijuana and four or five small
plants. They charged us with manufacture and intent to sell because of the
hundreds of small baggies I use to package my hand-crafted earrings. All
charges are felonies and we are facing 4-10 years in prison.
I have hypoglycemia, a form of diabetes. I've had this condition since
childhood. It's easy to deal with as long as I can eat a special diet.
The second condition I treat with marijuana is TMJ disorder, referring to
the temporo-mandibular joint of the jaw. Over the years, this condition
has worn my cartilage away. The severity of pain is hard to describe, but
if the pain was ranked in levels up to 5, I would say that level 3 I am
nauseated from the pain. At level 4 I can barely move my jaws enough to
talk and eating is difficult. The real challenge is to not vomit from the
pain, because vomiting flexes my jaw. At level 5, I can't avoid vomiting
and I can't eat, which causes my blood sugar to drop dangerously low.
The standard treatments for this are cortisone shots in the jaw and/or
joint replacement. I have a history of drug allergies and am afraid to use
cortisone. Also, I've learned that jaw joint replacement is very risky
with low success rates.
My approach to this condition has been to try anything as long as I'm
pretty sure it won't hurt me. I wear a bite plate to keep my teeth apart
while I sleep. I have a TENS machine that I wear that sends electro-shock
to my jaws, which helps bring the pain down a little but I can only use it
for one and half hours at a time.
For the pain, I've tried Vicodin, but marijuana is as effective as two
Vicodin and the relief is immediate with easily controlled dosage. For the
nausea and vomiting, marijuana is amazing. The nausea stops in two
minutes, period. Even if I'm already vomiting, I can still get it in my
system with a few puffs.
Since I was arrested, I have struggled because they threaten me with drug
tests and jail. I've experimented with more chemical medications. The
first month after my arrest I lost twenty pounds, and I was already
underweight. The doctor was trying me on different drugs and my body was
not tolerating them, so he switched me from one to another six or eight
times. I was desperate, but I didn't want to take narcotics.
I've been on Vicodin since December 2001, which is a very addicting drug
and not recommended for long term use. Not only am I having symptoms of
physical addiction, but it's making my condition worse by staying in my
system too long and putting me into deep sleep which causes my blood sugar
to drop. So the episodes that normally last 4-5 days are now lasting two
weeks or more. When it finally eases up, I go through withdrawal.
I travel 50,000 miles per year doing craft shows all over the Midwest and
have done this for 20 years without one speeding ticket or moving
violation. I've voted in every election since I was 18. I do community
service whenever possible.
I believe God put marijuana on Earth as medicine to help people. I don't
believe opiate addiction is part of God's plan for me. I could leave my
home and family for a state where medical marijuana laws would protect me,
but I am a grandmother and a granddaughter and don't want to leave my
loved ones.
My arrest resulted from a complaint I made to the Sheriff's Office, asking
for help. We had some neighbors move in and start shooting at our house
and at me. Not only did the Sheriff give me no assistance in this matter,
but I was profiled as a meth addict because of my weight. The very deputy
I went to for help lied to me when he said he'd take care of the problem
and used excessive force in handcuffing me. My wrists were bruised from my
hands halfway to my elbows and one wrist was sprained -- my left one, and
I'm a left handed artist.
The local judge denied our motions and we took a conditional plea of five
years probation and a $7500 fine. We've filed a notice of appeal.
Our doctor would recommend marijuana if he didn't face the threat of
losing his license. Compassion and common sense need to prevail in this
matter. Jailing sick people is not only a human rights violation, it's
morally wrong.