Pot. Pot. Pot. Gimme POT!

My kingdom for some Pot! But if my kingdom is not big enough for you, a one bedroom in the bowels of Brooklyn, then I offer you my first born son or daughter or homosexual, bisexual, transgender, etc. that I procreate; but as a gay man who does not think much about procreation, you may have second thoughts about this reward. Money you say? I don't want to insult you with my possible offering, you'll laugh all the way to your own garden of Cannabis. Then the only thing left is shouting: "Gimme POT!!!"

Ed's NOTE (Peter's): If you could feel what I am feeling right now you'd be screaming for medicinal POT! to the top of your lungs too.

For me, this week's "America's High" reports on Anderson Cooper 360º could not have come at a better time. Here is my story (and I promise to make it as short as I possible can). My story will explain what Melissa Etheridge is talking about to Anderson in this video: I have a problem in my lower back, for which I have not been able to find a name except "pain!" But the pain is not on my back, it's on my legs. About a month ago the back of my legs started to hurt, a bit more every day until I could hardly walk. I went to the doctor and he recommended surgery on my fourth vertebra (from the bottom -- the coccyx -- up) as soon as possible because the MRI he prescribed showed a growth that was not malign but that was taking room in the space reserved for the nerve running up and down my spinal column and this growth was pressing the nerve and making my legs hurt. The unusual thing was that said pain was only on the back side of my legs. Yet I thought, "Never mind, surgery is the solution and that is all needed to right know." A couple of day later the doctor opened about one inch on my lower back, removed a piece of vertebra to give room for the excess tissue to expand into and leave enough room for the nerve to function properly without pain. A Miracle! The pain was gone the day after the operation and I was a happy gay man again> I could walk without enduring pain and I felt like dancing in the streets simply because I could!

Then, KaboomMM!! About two weeks later, the front side of my legs started to hurt. Huh, Huh, I wondered. I waited a couple of days to see if the discomfort would diminish. It didn't, it got worse. A second MRI was prescribed immediately and the result was that the extra tissue was growing again, this time on the vertebra above, the fifth vertebra. An anti-inflammatory injection to my spinal cord was prescribed, followed by surgery again before the end of this week (Friday or Saturday -- a small interruption of this blog is expected, but not to worry; Thoroughly Anderson Cooper should not be off the Net but for a day or two -- if at all, I'll let you know.)

The doctor prescribed Motrin IB for the pain... Would you believe the bottle of Motrin I bought at Rite Aid was a placebo...? If it wasn't a placebo, it was defective because IT didn't work! My pain not only remained in my legs but it's becoming more and more intense with every hour that quickly passes during the day. I cannot walk now, sitting I am okay, but the moment I stand up the pain becomes so intense I wish I had a kilo of pot to smoke throughout the day until surgery time.

For the record I must explain that I have only smoked pot as a recreational drug three times in my life, when I was about 17 or 18 years old, it's a wonder I still remember; but I didn't like it and I never smoked it again! Nor did I tried any other happy drugs at all -- ever! Now I really know the meaning of medicinal pot. When regularly prescribed drugs reach their limits, you need a little extra help to get you through the days, or hours, or weeks before a more radical solution is available -- surgery; doctors don't usually drop everything they are doing at the moment you feel excruciating pain that's not going to kill you; but the pain will continue to torture you mercilessly for hour after hour to no end...

Therefore, Melissa, thank you for speaking for everybody who, like you, has experienced this agony before and for those who, like me, are experiencing the torment right now. We need a substance which is plenty abundant on the planet but that the (stupid) law does not allow to make it available to us!

Bravo Anderson for bringing this subject to the light and, in lieu of unavailable Marijuana, I raise a glass of Tequila to both of you. Thank you!

And to all you TAC bloggers, Thank You for listening and for visiting this tribute to our wonder-gray boy, Anderson.

On with the SHOW! I mean, here is the article:

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Cannabis

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CNN Anderson Cooper 360: Melissa Etheridge on medical marijuana

Monday, June 15th, 2009 at 7:20 pm | By: Radical Russ



Here’s the wonderful Melissa Etheridge, one of hundreds of thousands of patients who have had a positive experience with medical marijuana. Her quote about “that’s a people problem, not a drug problem” is beautiful, but my favorite has to be “it’s not about getting high, it’s about getting to a place of normal”. That’s what Keith’s been saying since 1970!


http://stash.norml.org/