420
Founder
Huntsville, Alabama - Many of you have followed my struggle with UC and advocacy for CBD oil as a safe, effective therapeutic for multiple conditions, perhaps most prominently epilepsy. My advocacy for access to medical therapy for patients will continue, but my struggle with UC cannot.
I am writing from my hospital bed as in a few days I will be undergoing surgery to remove my colon (Shapira had surgery Dec. 19 and was released from the hospital Dec. 31), a last-resort procedure called colectomy.
It will be followed by another either one or two surgeries in order to create what is called a "J-pouch" in order to replace the organ that I am losing. I am likely to regain a high quality of life from this procedure; however, I will suffer the scars of this process: physically, health-wise, and emotionally.
What I will never know is whether medical cannabis or CBD oil might have made the difference. It is unconscionable that patients are undergoing life-changing surgeries instead of being given access to medicine, but this is unfortunately the result of a political system that is wrong-headed and indifferent to the well-being of Alabamians.
It is important to note that I will not be the only one losing body parts or indeed life due to the inaction of the state legislature, our federal representation, and the executive authority of the Governor. Even the children eligible to receive CBD oil as part of the Carly's Law research study are still waiting without answers. And seizing.
In a letter shared by Matt Murphy (the Matt Murphy Show), Alabama Senator Richard Shelby states that there are "legal drugs currently available that are comparable" in providing medical benefit. I challenge him and Governor Bentley, who voiced similar mysterious concerns, to respond to my op-ed published on AL.com on October 22, 2014 in which I provided evidence from peer-reviewed research showing the safety and efficacy of CBD merely in my own condition, let alone the even more extensive research showing its value in treating epilepsy.
I fear that Alabama will be among the last places in the United States to provide compassionate access to medical cannabis to its citizens; however, this will only complement our lagging education, inhumane prisons, and procrastinating fiscal management. Truly, though, the responsibility lies with us. If responsible citizens fail to run for public office and fail to elect better public officers, Alabama will continue to disappoint its citizens.
I challenge you to write to your federal representation, including our Senators Shelby and Sessions, to support legislation prohibiting DEA interference in state policy regarding cannabis, and to write to Governor Bentley and your state representatives to provide access to this life-saving medicine.
News Moderator: 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: My advocacy for CBD oil will continue, but my struggle with illness cannot: guest opinion | AL.com
Author: Itamar Shapira
Contact: Contact Us - | Alabama Media Group| Alabama Media Group
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Alabama Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - al.com
I am writing from my hospital bed as in a few days I will be undergoing surgery to remove my colon (Shapira had surgery Dec. 19 and was released from the hospital Dec. 31), a last-resort procedure called colectomy.
It will be followed by another either one or two surgeries in order to create what is called a "J-pouch" in order to replace the organ that I am losing. I am likely to regain a high quality of life from this procedure; however, I will suffer the scars of this process: physically, health-wise, and emotionally.
What I will never know is whether medical cannabis or CBD oil might have made the difference. It is unconscionable that patients are undergoing life-changing surgeries instead of being given access to medicine, but this is unfortunately the result of a political system that is wrong-headed and indifferent to the well-being of Alabamians.
It is important to note that I will not be the only one losing body parts or indeed life due to the inaction of the state legislature, our federal representation, and the executive authority of the Governor. Even the children eligible to receive CBD oil as part of the Carly's Law research study are still waiting without answers. And seizing.
In a letter shared by Matt Murphy (the Matt Murphy Show), Alabama Senator Richard Shelby states that there are "legal drugs currently available that are comparable" in providing medical benefit. I challenge him and Governor Bentley, who voiced similar mysterious concerns, to respond to my op-ed published on AL.com on October 22, 2014 in which I provided evidence from peer-reviewed research showing the safety and efficacy of CBD merely in my own condition, let alone the even more extensive research showing its value in treating epilepsy.
I fear that Alabama will be among the last places in the United States to provide compassionate access to medical cannabis to its citizens; however, this will only complement our lagging education, inhumane prisons, and procrastinating fiscal management. Truly, though, the responsibility lies with us. If responsible citizens fail to run for public office and fail to elect better public officers, Alabama will continue to disappoint its citizens.
I challenge you to write to your federal representation, including our Senators Shelby and Sessions, to support legislation prohibiting DEA interference in state policy regarding cannabis, and to write to Governor Bentley and your state representatives to provide access to this life-saving medicine.
News Moderator: 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: My advocacy for CBD oil will continue, but my struggle with illness cannot: guest opinion | AL.com
Author: Itamar Shapira
Contact: Contact Us - | Alabama Media Group| Alabama Media Group
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Alabama Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - al.com
