DdC

Bay Area -- Seven years after Californians passed proposition 215, the State and the federal government are still duking it out over the use of marijuana as medicine. So it may surprise you to learn about a medical marijuana user who gets her pot from the federal government.

Elvy Mussika says marijuana kept her from going blind by lowering the pressure in her eye caused by glaucoma. "It was miraculous from the beginning," she says. "It has not only retained whatever vision I had, it has literally improved it much to our amazement 'cause we never expected that."

Like many Californians, Elvy uses pot medicinally. In this state, under proposition 215, very ill patients are allowed to use marijuana for medicinal reasons, but they do so at risk of violating federal law which says pot is illegal for any purpose. However, unlike other Californians, Musikka has permission from the federal government - 30 years ago she enrolled in one of the federal government's early studies into medical marijuana.

The Department of Health and Human Services started that program in the 1970's, but in the early '90s it was shut down when a flood of AIDS patients wanted to sign up. Even though the government closed the door to new patients, they allowed Musikka and a handful of those already enrolled to continue receiving pot to treat their illnesses.

To this day Musikka still receives government-grown pot provided by Uncle Sam. On the other hand, federal law enforcement continues to crack down on people who also provide medical marijuana to sick people.

People like Ed Rosenthal who was convicted recently of violating federal drug laws. "This was not really a trial," Rosenthal says. "It's what's called a kangaroo trial."

"It is my belief that marijuana is not a medicine," Richard Meyer of the Drug Enforcement Agency says. It's the DEA's mission to stop all marijuana use. "Marijuana is a schedule one substance. And marijuana may not be our main priority, but it's certainly a responibility that we have. And we have to protect the public from all kinds of dangerous drugs."

Many feel marijuana isn't necessary because of a pill. The drug Marinol contains a synthetic form of TCH, one of the chemicals in marijuana. But some say it's not as effective as naturally-grown marijuana, which has a long history of medical use.

Dr. Mike Alcalay, who prescribes pot to patients, says, "It's been known for over 5,000 years - going back to China - that it has medicinal properties."

Dr. Alcalay prescribes marijuana to hundreds of patients who are sick and dying. And he is a patient himself. "I am a long living survivor of AIDS," he says.

Alcalay uses marijuana to increase his appetite, to counter the effects of AIDS wasting and to ease pain and nausea. "Getting one puff is a miracle," he says. "It will relax my stomach and I can take my pills and just go on with my life."

As for Musikka, she's regained enough sight to lead a normal life. Instead of smoking she often uses a vaporizer which allows her to inhale the chemicals from marijuana without having to smoke it.

She's also become an activist, speaking out on behalf of medical marijuana and lending support to medical marijuana patients and suppliers facing prosecution. She considers herself extremely lucky to be one of the few to have the federal government's permission to smoke pot.

"Seeing sick people spend time in jail is very depressing to me, just going through their trials and watching them being treated as common criminals. They haven't committed a crime, they simply respond to God's creation better than they do to the pharmaceutical industry," she says.

Seven states other than California have passed laws allowing the use of medical marijuana.

Gov't Pot Patient Fights for Legalization
Source: KRON 4 * Website
Published: August 4, 2003

Related Articles & Web Sites

Ed Rosenthal's Pictures & Articles
Glaucoma Patient Calls for Legalizing Marijuana
Marijuana Advocate Testifies on Quantity Used



George McMahon, one of the remaining patients in the federal medical marijuana program
and a founding member of Patients Out of Time

AN INCIDENT IN KANSAS by R Givens c 1995
An interview with ELVY MUSIKKA and RICHARD DAVIS

Blinded by Ignorance: Elvy Musikka Interviewed by Dana Larsen
"I realize now that I was never blinded by glaucoma, I was blinded by ignorance"

Coalition for Compassionate Access

Comments from Elvy Musikka , glaucoma patient and one of the few people
in the U.S. allowed to receive marijuana legally as medicine from the federal government.
December 14, 1997 Hollywood, Florida


Stop the Drugwar

Feds Need One Million Joints, Staff Will Pay $4 Million to U of Mississippi

D.E.A. Confirms Grounds To Remove Marijuana From Hard Drugs Schedule

FDA-Approved Medical Marijuana Research Blocked

What the WHO doesn't want you to know about cannabis


Students for a Sensible Drug Policy

What No One Wants to Know About Marijuana by Dr. Andrew Weil

Drug Czar Manipulating Data in a Report to Congress

Cannabis Shrinks Tumors: Government Knew in 74

It's those Jewish Bastards Out for Legalizing! R. M. Nixon

Hashish Fudge -- Heinrich Heine

"Arbitrary and capricious" is legal language that was used by DEA Administrative Law Judge Francis Young in 1988 to conclude that DEA was obligated under the Controlled Substances Act to reschedule marijuana as a prescription medicine. DEA Chief Administrator Robert Bonner proceeded to arbitrarily and capriciously disregard Judge Young's well researched and reasoned decision, which the Act allowed him to do.



Dr. Heath/Tulane Study, 1974
The Hype: Brain Damage and Dead Monkeys

Bush Quayle Lilly Pharmaceutical Sell Out

Clinton Asks Supreme Court To Overturn MMJ Ruling

Get Over It

U.S. law enforcement spends $7.5 to $10 billion annually enforcing marijuana laws.
According to the FBI, 720,000 Americans were arrested on marijuana charges in 2001.
Keith Stroup, NORML

In 2000, there were 1,579,566 drug arrests in the US.
Of those, 46.5 percent -- 734,497 arrests -- were for marijuana.
There were 646,042 arrests for simple possession of marijuana in 2000. Drug War Facts

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