VICTORY! Proposal 1 passes in Michigan-A special note of thanks from the Chum Master

I sent this letter to friends and family early Weds, but thought I’d share it here as I know there are 1000’s of others in my state and around the U.S. who have similar stories.

Michigan’s Proposal 1, which would legalize the use of marijuana by patients with serious medical conditions such as cancer, AIDS/HIV, MS, and others, passed overwhelmingly Tues. evening, 63%-37% at last check. Michigan residents demonstrated what true compassion is, and seriously ill patients no longer face jail for relieving their suffering. This was a true grassroots, volunteer-lead campaign effort from beginning to end. I’d like to personally thank everyone that signed the petitions a yr. ago when I was hounding you at work, school, or anywhere I could find you, as well of those of you that took yard signs from me and spread the word to your friends and family, or donated money, and most importantly those of you that voted “Yes.”

As you may have guessed, I’m very passionate about this subject. While I’ve become kind of an amateur medicinal marijuana expert because of my policy studies in grad school, I also have a personal stake in this movement. In the interest of disclosure, yes, I do have a condition that is covered under Prop 1. I share these details only to perhaps put a familiar face on this vote. Some of you may have visited me in the hospital after one of my surgeries, or had me skip out on work or family functions because I’m knocked out on pain meds or side effects from treatment. I’ve been on 21 different medications in the last 3 yrs to keep my condition in check but so far, the most relief I can manage is a few months before the medicine decreases in effectiveness. Every “miracle drug” I’ve tried had results far less impressive than the shiny drug co. booklet promised. I will evaluate whether to use marijuana when the law is in full effect after I consult with my doctors and my employer to see if my employer will accommodate the new legislation or not. However, it’s comforting to know that an option which has demonstrated tremendous effectiveness, with far fewer side effects than my current meds, is legally available. Playing with my two little babies while hooked up to assorted machinery, although exciting, isn’t as easy as one would think.

I met some amazing people while working on this initiative, people whose suffering and bravery far exceed my own. These people and their loved ones were forced to sneak around to avoid arrest and prosecution. They and their families have gone through a hell that you and I can never imagine and marijuana has been the only medicine that enabled them to go through yet another round of chemotherapy, or to ease the debilitating nerve pain that keeps them bedridden, or prevents them from vomiting up the meds that keeps AIDS/HIV from taking their life. So, even if you supported Prop 1 just because I was hounding you, please know that your vote has removed the threat of arrest from the minds of some seriously ill people who already carry too heavy a burden. So, pat yourselves on the back as you’ve done a very good thing. Sick people simply wanted relief, and you’ve given it to them.

Blessings,

The Chum Master

Michigan residents: Stop arresting patients and vote Yes on Proposal 1

Your Daily Chum is fervently behind the effort to legalize marijuana for medicinal use in the state of Michigan. In graduate school, The Chum Master has read more policy papers and patient and doctor accounts than you can imagine. Having personally met dozens of Michigan citizens who utilized marijuana to ease their sufferings from diseases like cancer, multiple sclerosis, and AIDS, we strongly urge all Michigan residents to vote “Yes” on Proposal 1 on November 4th. It’s a simple issue: will we allow the seriously ill to choose their method of treatment or will we continue to buy into the decades of lies spoonfed to us by the federal government and pharmaceutical companies?

The Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care (MCCC) is a grassroots organization devoted to passing Proposal 1, the medical marijuana initiative on the November 2008 ballot. Proposal 1 will protect seriously ill Michiganders suffering from illnesses like cancer, HIV/AIDS, and multiple sclerosis from the threat of arrest and jail for simply trying to alleviate their pain.

If Proposal 1 is passed by a majority of voters on November 4, Michigan law will allow these patients – some of the most vulnerable members of our community – to use, possess, and grow their own marijuana for medical purposes, with their doctors’ approval. It will create a registry of patients and a system of ID cards, so that law enforcement will easily be able to tell who is a legitimate participant in the program and who is not, and establish penalties for false statements and fraudulent cards. And by maintaining current prohibitions on public use and driving under the influence of marijuana, Proposal 1 will ensure that the law does exactly what it sets out to do – protect the seriously ill from the threat of arrest and jail, and do so responsibly.

Please take time to watch the interview below of how marijuana eased the sufferings of a woman facing cancer.

This ad features Manistee, Mich. resident Dr. George Wagoner, whose wife of 51 years, Beverly, succumbed to cancer in 2007. During her ordeal, she found that few prescription medications effectively combated her chemotherapy-related nausea as well as medical marijuana, which Dr. Wagoner procured for her. Since her passing, he has dedicated himself to ensuring that no one else has to break the law in order to relieve their loved ones’ suffering. As he notes in the ad, “It shouldn’t be a crime to follow a doctor’s advice.”

Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care