It is a very old tradition to allow a person with no more time left on their personal clock a final request. One last moment of dignity, one last instant when they can feel like they are in control, one last minute of peace before time runs out; the last wish of a dying person. Whether that person is standing in front of a firing squad or in a hospital with a terminal illness, they are always given the opportunity to take one last action or make a final statement to affirm their existence or to rail at the unfairness of it all. The choice to not go quietly into that long night.

Unfortunately, many people mistakenly wish to apply this tradition to those that use medical marijuana to treat their various maladies. They believe that the medical cannabis patient wants a cigarette and a blindfold when in reality that person wants a life preserver. These patients are not waiting to die, they are fighting to live and in many instances marijuana offers them their only chance to survive. Whether their medical condition is terminal or not is irrelevant, a life in torment is no life at all, it is hell. As our politicians play doctor, thousands continue to suffer. As those without the proper education argue patient treatment with those that have the degrees, people die. Pressure is being brought to bear on these leaders that have spent most of their adult lives propogating the myth of marijuana; that it is addictive, that it causes brain damage, that it drives people mad with uncontrollable urges. The inherent unfairness of it all is lost on the average man on the street, who has been taught that all "Pot Smokers" are hippies and social dropouts that are only interested in giving in to their baser hedonistic desires, sex, drugs, and rock and roll is the thought that comes to mind.

As our population ages, these "hippies of the sixties and seventies" are now the leaders in the various sectors of society, as well as in the government at all levels. That is why state after state across our country is allowing access to cannabis by their ill and injured citizens. These "Hippies" have been there and done that, and are not fooled by jargonism and rhetoric. The science of marijuana is finally coming of age and people are rallying to the cause. The advent of the internet has allowed unprecedented access to information previously unavailable to most. Nearly 1/4 of the states in this country now allow access to medical cannabis; nearly a third of our country's population enjoys the protection of their various state's judicial systems against unfair prosecution. As each lie told by our government is exposed, more citizens quit believing in the infallibility of our legislators. With each ensuing poll, the percentage of people endorsing the medical use of cannabis grows. Meanwhile, our government wastes 70 to 80 billion dollars per year of your hard earned tax dollars to enforce laws that have their basis in greed, bigotry, and prejudice, and to incarcerate those that have harmed no one. Money that could help clothe the poor, feed the hungry, house the unfortunate, and treat the ill.

Only God knows where this new age will lead us. Will we tire of the old and ring in the new, or will it just be business as usual? We have the power to choose, and as Americans we have the right and the responsibility to do so. We have the right to speak out and be heard, and not to fear the ramifications of expressing our views. We have the right to associate ourselves with any person or organization we desire, and not fear prosecution or penalty for doing so. We have the right to vote for those that support our views and beliefs. I choose to disdain the cigarette and blindfold, and to reach for the life preserver, and to keep reaching until I can finally grasp it in my hands legally and free, just as our constitution and bill of rights promised to all of us. Will you do the same when it is your turn?

Please support The Ohio Patient Network, our time is NOW!

Michael Boop
Cridersville, Ohio