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A Prince George senior is positive he wouldn't be alive today without medical marijuana.
After Tom (not his real name), 64, had to use so many medications to get through cancer treatment, he was looking for something more natural and did the research on medicinal marijuana. When he was satisfied that this was something that was safe, and without major side effects, he asked his oncologist to prescribe it to him and his request was granted.
Health Canada issues an authorization for patients like Tom to possess and use marijuana as well as a licence to grow a certain amount for personal use. Tom has both.
And he's not alone.
According to statistics provided by Health Canada, in B.C. and the Yukon there are 1,784 people over 65 who hold an authorization to possess marijuana for medical purposes. B.C and the Yukon have more seniors legally using marijuana as part of their patient care than all of the other provinces and territories combined.
Tom is licenced for up to 25 plants but he only grows about half of that, he said.
"I don't smoke it, I ingest it," said Tom, who was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in his throat four years ago. "I make butter and I use it to make cookies. I have a cookie in the evening and I start about 7 or 7:30 p.m. and by 9:30 I'm ready for bed. I've been doing this for about two years now."
Tom said that it takes about 20 minutes for him to start feeling the effects of the marijuana.
"It starts relaxing you and you can tell your mental processes are shifting," he added. "By ten I'm out and I get eight or nine hours of solid sleep."
That's important for Tom, who was unable to sleep during his cancer treatments. Tom had 35 radiation and eight chemotherapy treatments during his cancer battle. One of the side effects was his mouth stopped producing saliva. He'd have to put a special gel in his mouth every 15 minutes or so to keep hydrated, making it impossible for him to sleep. That went on for about 18 months, he said.
"Radiation has permanently altered me in some ways - they can never put Humpty Dumpty back together again," Tom said, who now has very little sense of taste and his ability to swallow is impaired as well. Meat is a challenge and lettuce is impossible to swallow, he added.
"The energy levels are so low and they don't tell you about all the things that will go wrong," said Tom, who worked in the pulp and paper mill industry for 35 years. "They gave me a 30 per cent chance of making it three years and I'm still here four years later. A lot of the people who were in the hospital with me are gone now."
Tom used to be a very jumpy, nervous man, he admits.
"I am more relaxed now and one of the properties of medical marijuana is that it diffuses everything," said Tom. "You cannot focus on one thing, it's a kaleidoscope of thoughts. And that's how it is. It shifts your focus, your body relaxes and for me, it's a God send. And I can sleep."
Tom said the marijuana infused butter cookie will stay in his system for about 12 hours.
"I don't feel the onset for about 20 to 25 minutes," said Tom. "But there are things you look for, like the paranoia. So when I have the urge to go check to see if I turned off the light -- did I turn off the light? -- I resist because I know that's part of the paranoia. I recommend it for seniors but I don't recommend it for young people."
Tom enjoys his calmer disposition now.
"I don't let things really get to me anymore," said Tom. "I don't worry too much about what doctors say now. During cancer treatment you deal with so many life and death issues. I had to make funeral arrangements for myself and buy a plot. You're facing your death and they're telling you you're dying and it's very difficult to deal with. Through it all, I really don't think all the pharmaceuticals that doctors are prescribing today are all that good for us. I think people need to take a look at a natural healing process and this is part of my path -- using this plant as part of that process."
Tom believes Health Canada should perform unannounced inspections of all licensed medicinal marijuana growers' facilities at least once a year. He's been growing for two years and hasn't had a visit.
"Am I in compliance? Yeah, I am," said Tom. "I even had an electrical inspector come in and I built mine in my garage. It's not in my home and it's on a skid. When the electrical inspector came in, I disclosed to him what I was doing and he checked it all out. I phoned the city and asked if I needed a building permit of some kind and because it's on a skid, I don't need one. So, I'm not affecting my home at all and I'm not creating any problems for anybody. But, there is a stigma attached to this and I am very careful when people come over to the house."
That stigma extends to other seniors, even ones who tried using marijuana on their own.
Vince was too embarrassed to ask his doctor to prescribe medical marijuana during his cancer treatments so he went on a reconnaissance mission and found a relative that offered him a sample. Vince and his sons tried it and the results were not good for Vince.
"Who on Earth would use such a thing?" asked Vince (not his real name), a 61-year-old retired teacher. "You'd have to be a complete idiot!"
Vince is a cancer survivor who had a very aggressive diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that progressed to a stage IV tumor. Vince is aware that marijuana can produce different reactions in different people but he still has very strong opinions.
"Normally my brain is way out there, I'm very aware, using all my senses and then all of a sudden I had no impression of the world around me and if people didn't have much of a brain to begin with, why would you handicap it further?" wondered Vince, who beat the odds when he was told he had two months to live two years ago. "I am totally biased against it."
News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: princegeorgecitizen.com
Author: Christine Hinzmann
Contact: Contact Us | Prince George Citizen
Website: Medical marijuana offers relief to senior | Local News | Prince George Citizen
After Tom (not his real name), 64, had to use so many medications to get through cancer treatment, he was looking for something more natural and did the research on medicinal marijuana. When he was satisfied that this was something that was safe, and without major side effects, he asked his oncologist to prescribe it to him and his request was granted.
Health Canada issues an authorization for patients like Tom to possess and use marijuana as well as a licence to grow a certain amount for personal use. Tom has both.
And he's not alone.
According to statistics provided by Health Canada, in B.C. and the Yukon there are 1,784 people over 65 who hold an authorization to possess marijuana for medical purposes. B.C and the Yukon have more seniors legally using marijuana as part of their patient care than all of the other provinces and territories combined.
Tom is licenced for up to 25 plants but he only grows about half of that, he said.
"I don't smoke it, I ingest it," said Tom, who was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in his throat four years ago. "I make butter and I use it to make cookies. I have a cookie in the evening and I start about 7 or 7:30 p.m. and by 9:30 I'm ready for bed. I've been doing this for about two years now."
Tom said that it takes about 20 minutes for him to start feeling the effects of the marijuana.
"It starts relaxing you and you can tell your mental processes are shifting," he added. "By ten I'm out and I get eight or nine hours of solid sleep."
That's important for Tom, who was unable to sleep during his cancer treatments. Tom had 35 radiation and eight chemotherapy treatments during his cancer battle. One of the side effects was his mouth stopped producing saliva. He'd have to put a special gel in his mouth every 15 minutes or so to keep hydrated, making it impossible for him to sleep. That went on for about 18 months, he said.
"Radiation has permanently altered me in some ways - they can never put Humpty Dumpty back together again," Tom said, who now has very little sense of taste and his ability to swallow is impaired as well. Meat is a challenge and lettuce is impossible to swallow, he added.
"The energy levels are so low and they don't tell you about all the things that will go wrong," said Tom, who worked in the pulp and paper mill industry for 35 years. "They gave me a 30 per cent chance of making it three years and I'm still here four years later. A lot of the people who were in the hospital with me are gone now."
Tom used to be a very jumpy, nervous man, he admits.
"I am more relaxed now and one of the properties of medical marijuana is that it diffuses everything," said Tom. "You cannot focus on one thing, it's a kaleidoscope of thoughts. And that's how it is. It shifts your focus, your body relaxes and for me, it's a God send. And I can sleep."
Tom said the marijuana infused butter cookie will stay in his system for about 12 hours.
"I don't feel the onset for about 20 to 25 minutes," said Tom. "But there are things you look for, like the paranoia. So when I have the urge to go check to see if I turned off the light -- did I turn off the light? -- I resist because I know that's part of the paranoia. I recommend it for seniors but I don't recommend it for young people."
Tom enjoys his calmer disposition now.
"I don't let things really get to me anymore," said Tom. "I don't worry too much about what doctors say now. During cancer treatment you deal with so many life and death issues. I had to make funeral arrangements for myself and buy a plot. You're facing your death and they're telling you you're dying and it's very difficult to deal with. Through it all, I really don't think all the pharmaceuticals that doctors are prescribing today are all that good for us. I think people need to take a look at a natural healing process and this is part of my path -- using this plant as part of that process."
Tom believes Health Canada should perform unannounced inspections of all licensed medicinal marijuana growers' facilities at least once a year. He's been growing for two years and hasn't had a visit.
"Am I in compliance? Yeah, I am," said Tom. "I even had an electrical inspector come in and I built mine in my garage. It's not in my home and it's on a skid. When the electrical inspector came in, I disclosed to him what I was doing and he checked it all out. I phoned the city and asked if I needed a building permit of some kind and because it's on a skid, I don't need one. So, I'm not affecting my home at all and I'm not creating any problems for anybody. But, there is a stigma attached to this and I am very careful when people come over to the house."
That stigma extends to other seniors, even ones who tried using marijuana on their own.
Vince was too embarrassed to ask his doctor to prescribe medical marijuana during his cancer treatments so he went on a reconnaissance mission and found a relative that offered him a sample. Vince and his sons tried it and the results were not good for Vince.
"Who on Earth would use such a thing?" asked Vince (not his real name), a 61-year-old retired teacher. "You'd have to be a complete idiot!"
Vince is a cancer survivor who had a very aggressive diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that progressed to a stage IV tumor. Vince is aware that marijuana can produce different reactions in different people but he still has very strong opinions.
"Normally my brain is way out there, I'm very aware, using all my senses and then all of a sudden I had no impression of the world around me and if people didn't have much of a brain to begin with, why would you handicap it further?" wondered Vince, who beat the odds when he was told he had two months to live two years ago. "I am totally biased against it."
News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: princegeorgecitizen.com
Author: Christine Hinzmann
Contact: Contact Us | Prince George Citizen
Website: Medical marijuana offers relief to senior | Local News | Prince George Citizen
