cannabisnews.com: Grandma's Little Helper





Grandma's Little Helper
Posted by CN Staff on July 12, 2003 at 09:01:36 PT
By Colin Freeze 
Source: Globe and Mail 
With a titanium knee and a sore spine, 74-year-old Clara Welling is all too familiar with battling an aging body's aches and pains. So, inside a cookie tin, she keeps a secret weapon tucked away.Sealed in a Ziploc-bag lies the septuagenarian's small stash of marijuana. Speaking and smoking pot on the balcony of her 19th-floor Toronto apartment, the free-spirited senior said she enjoys marijuana -- and that more of her contemporaries ought to try it.
"If more people understood it, I would see more people outside, having joints instead of cigarettes, and not worrying about their pains and their ailments and enjoying life," she said, from the small apartment she shares with her two cats, Whiskers and Tye-Two.Ms. Welling, an occasional indulger who was introduced to the drug by her children, says she smokes marijuana for fun as well as for practical reasons. "If I want to get my housework done, without so much pain here and there, I have a smoke and I can get it done in two hours," she said."I always like to have a puff and a beer ready when I watch Coronation Street."For many of us, marijuana conjures up images of long-haired teenagers listening to Pink Floyd's The Wall. But because marijuana is losing its stoner taboo and is increasingly regarded as a plant with medicinal properties, its appeal now spans generations. The mainstreaming of marijuana became abundantly apparent this week as the Canadian government announced plans to distribute the drug, selling it through doctors at $5 a gram to approximately 500 licenced users who are chronically ill.That Ottawa is getting into distribution is testament to shifting attitudes. A generation ago, parents felt dutybound to warn their children off pot, fearing it would fry their brains or cause calamity. But now there is a growing sense that marijuana, if used appropriately and in moderation, can help people. As adult children see aging parents suffer, they are asking them to try a little something to ease the pain.One B.C. senior began smoking several years ago, at the age of 68, at the suggestion of his son."My dad had back pain and all sort of troubles and started smoking pot. I encouraged him to do it," said the man's son, who spoke from Montreal on the condition that his name not be revealed.Suffering from stress and depression, the father was taking anti-depressants and sleeping pills. "I actually felt a lot more comfortable with him smoking a joint," the son said, describing his father as a man who was traditionally "very square.""We just kind of rolled a joint and I said to my dad, 'Why don't you go ahead?' And he did."And he was coughing and hacking but then he was just unbelievably calm and kind of at peace with things -- and I hadn't seen him that way in years."It wasn't long before the father's new hobby was married with a more traditional pastime for seniors. "Within about a year he was growing it in his garden."The father was growing beautiful plants, with the help of a fertilizer well known in pot-growing circles. "We got to talking about it and he said, 'Oh yeah, I've been giving them Bud Blaster.' I said, 'Dad, where the hell did you learn about Bud Blaster?' "Many seniors, however, aren't quite so ready to smoke up. The appeal of marijuana remains largely generational. A recent poll found that although one-quarter of 25- to 34-year-old Canadians smoked marijuana in the last year, only 1 per cent of those over 65 had done the same.So it's not surprising that another B.C. senior had reservations about the idea. "My mother had gone through chemotherapy last fall and was having a hard time eating anything and was rapidly losing weight," explains Tina Madden, a 34-year-old Torontonian.Ms. Madden was devastated to see her mom shed 30 pounds as prescribed drugs failed. "The doctors were trying different kinds of medication to ease her nausea," she said. "None of them were very good." So she pressed her mother to read up on marijuana on the Internet, hoping to convince her that pot could reduce nausea -- and perhaps induce a much-needed case of the munchies.Yet despite living on B.C.'s Sunshine Coast -- an epicentre of Canadian pot production -- Ms. Madden's mother declined the drug. For her, the stigma was too strong. "She said, 'I don't want to have anything to do with that in any way, shape or form,' " said Ms. Madden, whose mother eventually recovered without using pot.Given the growing medical marijuana movement, one aging hippie in B.C. says it's a shame many seniors just say no to pot. "My generation of people are not like me, okay?," said Michelle David, 64. She estimates that only a very small percentage of people embraced the 1960s counterculture like she did.Originally a Quebecker, she was introduced to marijuana while hanging around with California hippies and beatniks in the 1960s. Many of her comrades, she laments, have since died from addictions. But Ms. David still feels one substance is more of a help than a hindrance -- she is involved with a compassion club that distributes marijuana in Vancouver.Such clubs exist in cities throughout North America to provide the chronically ill with marijuana that's cheaper and safer than what can be bought in the street. (Some experts caution that many forms of today's marijuana, which can be highly potent, may lead to paranoia among the uninitiated, and are thus unsuitable for seniors.)The clubs, which are occasionally busted by police, service far more than the few hundred Canadians who can now smoke legally.Yet despite the relatively easy access to pot offered through compassion clubs, Ms. David says she finds it a struggle to introduce the drug to people her age. "If they smoked marijuana they would be much better off than taking their sleeping pills and Demerol."In her own case, she finds it helps a lot. "I'm a mess," she says, speaking of kidney disease, glaucoma and osteoporosis."But what marijuana does is it keeps me out of the nursing home . . . If I didn't smoke, life would be very difficult."It's a sentiment Ms. Welling might agree with. "There's so many stupid people out there who don't understand it and don't want to understand it," she said. "I stopped trying to explain it to people."Ms. Welling, whose doctor disapproves of her marijuana use, obtains the drug from a compassion club. Her son, who suffers from a spinal condition, brought her there three years ago.Besides being a card-carrying member of a compassion club, Ms. Welling also belongs to a seniors' centre. Every morning, before 8 a.m., she takes a Wheel-Trans over to the centre, where she lifts weights, drinks 50-cent coffee and plays snooker.Few people there know about her secret. She is afraid that talking about it might scandalize fellow club members. "These seniors, they have their cigarettes and they puff away," says Ms. Welling, miming a frantic smoker and making slurping noises. "And I think, 'What would happen if I joined them and just took out a joint? They would flip.' "Ultimately, the spritely smoker argues that using marijuana is a matter of personal choice. "I'm not missing anything in this life," she said. "I want to try everything."Because I may not come around again," she adds.Note: As the taboos around pot smoking disappear, some seniors have started indulging in a puff or two to help ease the pain of aging, writes Colin Freeze.Colin Freeze is a crime reporter for The Globe and Mail.Source: Globe and Mail (Canada)Author: Colin Freeze, Crime ReporterPublished:  Saturday, July 12, 2003 - Page F7 Copyright: 2003 The Globe and Mail CompanyContact: letters globeandmail.caWebsite: http://www.globeandmail.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Canadians for Safe Accesshttp://www.safeaccess.ca/Ottawa MDs Won't Handle Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16842.shtmlCanada To Supply Marijuana To Seriously Ill http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16809.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #12 posted by JSM on July 13, 2003 at 07:09:27 PT
AARP
If that voting block would ever realize how cannabis could benefit them and how inexpensive it is to say nothing about what could be done with the bilions of dollars being wasted tilting at this particular windmill (WOSD), then there would no stopping legalization and full usage.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #11 posted by FoM on July 13, 2003 at 07:04:14 PT
phil_debowl 
The only thing I can think of is because it is close to your name that it won't work. Have him try a different name and if that doesn't work let me know and I'll contact Matt.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #10 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on July 13, 2003 at 06:49:33 PT
More propaganda ads in the NYT online
Just went to read a story on the New York Times website, but I couldn't get into it - there was a little selection bar at the top of the screen with four choices: "Keeping your kids drug-free", "Planning for a drug-free summer" [hint: stay out of Canada!!], "The Dangers Of Today's Weed" [it's much less dangerous in Ontario!], and "Proventactics [sic] for parents". Plus a Shockwave ad with a white screen that turns green with pot leaves and the tag line "Get the straight facts about marijuana. The anti drug dot com."All this, paid for with tax dollars from the government which says it isn't targeting marijuana.I like the AARP ad; it's a start. Now if they only stop to think what that $75 billion could do if spent on health care and education...
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #9 posted by Jose Melendez on July 13, 2003 at 04:26:19 PT
from aarp
The Ad: The ad opens with television news-type footage of a drugs, police operations, and drug raids, with the headine "The War on Drugs." As the images continue, a woman's voice beginsOver the last five years, the U.S. government has spent $75 billion dollars fighting illegal drugs in this country.
The image pulls out to reveal a man and woman watching the footage on T.V. as a male voiceover continues:There's another important drug war in America. The fight for legal, affordable prescription drugs for seniors. Know where the candidates stand. And vote. This is a war we can win.
AARP Placed Ad Targeting Voters on the Issue of Prescription Drugs 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #8 posted by phil_debowl on July 12, 2003 at 22:57:47 PT
FOM, Friend trying to setup an account
FOM, a friend of mine is trying to register. He's never registered before, but when he tries to login, he's getting a error that says "you are no longer permitted to post comments, please contact the webmaster" He's been trying for a few weeks. His login is smoke_debowl. He would love some help cause he's dying to post. Oh yeah, when he tries to email webmaster, the message gets bounced. Thanks for any help :).phil
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by John Tyler on July 12, 2003 at 18:25:26 PT
Good question mayan
Lets contact the AARP at http://www.aarp.org/contactaarp/Articles/a2003-01-28-contact-issuesform.htmland ask them if they support medical marijuana and if not why not? This is a big deal. A lot of AARP members could benefit from this. The senior vote carries a lot of weight.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by mayan on July 12, 2003 at 17:39:12 PT
Into The Mainstream
Marijuana has definitely moved into the mainstream, even here in the states. People are beginning to question everything the government says since it has lost all credibility. First, Bush lied about 9/11 & now he has lied about Iraq's weapons. Tenet is merely the scapegoat. Just go to http://whatreallyhappened.com/ for the inside scoop. If only the AARP would endorse mmj! I don't know why they don't. Seniors are getting bled for all they're worth by the health care industry & big pharm. If the AARP came out in support of mmj the laws would change fast, imho.The way out is the way in...Why does 9/11 inquiry scare Bush?
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/Stories/0,1413,101~6267~1506312,00.htmlSEEKING A 9/11 SCAPEGOAT:
http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/editorial/269.htmFirst Interim Report Of 9/11 Commission:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/archive/scoop/stories/2c/a5/200307101629.1b5c4c7d.html9/11 inquiry alleges witness intimidation 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/september11/story/0,11209,994933,00.htmlBEYOND BUSH - Part I - by Michael C. Ruppert:
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/070103_beyond_bush_1.html9/11 Prior Knowledge/Government Involvement Archive:
http://www.propagandamatrix.com/archiveprior_knowledge
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by paulpeterson on July 12, 2003 at 10:02:57 PT
Alzheimer's & Durbin from Illinois
Remember that marijuana has been proven to purge glutamates from the brain and help protect brain cells from known Alzheimer's proteins, Amyloid Beta particles (the stuff of fibroids and plaques). That came out from Spain last fall. Then my 90 year old mom started telling me she had this "fox" on her mind, couldn't remember things, her doctor said she was "due" (and didn't try to help). So she wanted me to bring her something for her "tea". So in early January, I gave her tea. Within 20 minutes she remarked "the fog is gone". All day long I would see her walking around her acreage, mumbling to herself "the fog is gone". After additional queries from her as to how long this has been buried (yes, since the old testament), she herself remarked that this must be the TREE OF LIFE in that Eden garden!I even got to hear her tell her rather conservative protestant minister (at her 90th birthday party, of all places) that she knew what the tree of life was, after he told her HE DIDN'T KNOW THAT! She even had a thing or two to tell him about those 9 million midwives that got torched after the 1484 debacle from that not so innocente POPE.Now I'm working on a few more elders for similar improvements in mental stability.The bottom line is that the more people that come "out of the closet", the more people hear about "normal" people sharing their problems (and solutions).This is paying off BIG TIME. Note that in the sovereign "repressed state" of Illinois, our Senator Durbin just stood up against Bush's confirmation of that handy Tandy lady for DEA chief. He even placed the New England Journal of Medicine article and the 99 IM report into the Senate record, which is an important "sleeper" issue in itself! Even though Handy Tandy got through the committee approval (over Durbin & Feinstein's objections) that means that for the first time since the IM report was issued, IT WILL BE DEBATED ON THE FULL SENATE FLOOR!DURBIN IS THINKING ABOUT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT!
He even got the Senate Thursday to UNANIMOUSLY VOTE FOR AN INQUIRY INTO THE FORGED NUCLEAR DOCUMENT THAT WAS THE SMOKING GUN TO GO TO VIET NAM AGAIN (Iraq this time, of course). Please go to Dick Durbin.senate.gov and tell him how you feel about his presidency bid! (I'm done now, just checking in, somewhere in the "homeland".(And by the way, how about that CIA guy Tenet taking the flack for the nuclear fraud! He's history, eh?)
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by Virgil on July 12, 2003 at 10:01:37 PT
It should have been "A Wonderful Life"
Some people think "It's a Wonderful Life" was the greatest movie ever. It offers a story of two paths as we all wonder about whenever we must take a turn in our lives.I would not want to induldge people to suffer through an account of my life had cannabis become re-legal the day I was born. I surely would not have had my run in with alcohol nor would it have been so prevelant in what used to be a functioning family. I wish cannabis were not just legal now if I am going to wish. I wish it had never been railroaded to a demon status in the first place. It has to change and we can change it. Show me the movie kids. What we are doing with the drug wars has surpassed the horrors of WW2. I know that is a bold statement, but after reading this article at CounterPunch about how we have horrified a country for 30 years only to plunder its state institutions to private hands, I have to say it is so. Please read this article and try to figure how far reaching the drug wars are as an instrument of conquest for the plutocracy- http://www.counterpunch.org/donahue07102003.htmlJohn Daily was on NOW with Bill Moyers. He pretty much described the media and the spread of the party line to maintain access as no access at all anyway. One thing a cannabis perspective teaches is that the government does the typing or reading and the press just prints. He did the country a favor for stating his position so cleanly and NOW continues to be a spotlight on the problems the people suffer under plutocratic rule.I have reread the Ron Paul speech given in the House on the 10th. He says that the neoconservatives are no conservatives at all- a statement I throw at the brain dead Nazis across the Internet. It is hard to say you are keeping up with events if you do not read this milestone piece- http://www.counterpunch.org/donahue07102003.htmlBut since he intellectually presented the cause of the neocons so well and it is so important to stop these bastards, I would like to copy the 17 beliefs of the neocons and the numbers did not copy to paste them.They agree with Trotsky on permanent revolution, violent as well as intellectual. They are for redrawing the map of the Middle East and are willing to use force to do so. They believe in preemptive war to achieve desired ends. They accept the notion that the ends justify the means—that hardball politics is a moral necessity. They express no opposition to the welfare state. They are not bashful about an American empire; instead they strongly endorse it. They believe lying is necessary for the state to survive. They believe a powerful federal government is a benefit. They believe pertinent facts about how a society should be run should be held by the elite and withheld from those who do not have the courage to deal with it. They believe neutrality in foreign affairs is ill advised. They hold Leo Strauss in high esteem. They believe imperialism, if progressive in nature, is appropriate. Using American might to force American ideals on others is acceptable. Force should not be limited to the defense of our country. 9-11 resulted from the lack of foreign entanglements, not from too many. They dislike and despise libertarians (therefore, the same applies to all strict constitutionalists.) They endorse attacks on civil liberties, such as those found in the Patriot Act, as being necessary. They unconditionally support Israel and have a close alliance with the Likud Party. We are ruled by treason. The cannabis wars could show it alone, but the misery that is crying everywhere will get everyones attention. I wish you a Wonderful Life, even though it does no good and may not be possible. At least I am not a goddamned prohibitionists trying to ruin it for you. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by Jose Melendez on July 12, 2003 at 09:35:18 PT
asked and answered
"...if a substance is used as a palliative, the results are highly subjective. If patients think that they are hurting less, who is the better judge of that, the patients or the specialists? "http://marijuananews.com/news.php3?sid=586
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by afterburner on July 12, 2003 at 09:26:11 PT:
Medical Necessity, Legal in Canada.
Medical necessity isn't illegal in Canada, like it is in the USA, only wrapped in bureaucratic red tape and subject to superstitious and long-held prejudices.ego transcendence follows ego destruction, regulated legalization is the solution.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on July 12, 2003 at 09:24:01 PT
Floyd
>>For many of us, marijuana conjures up images of long-haired teenagers listening to Pink Floyd's The Wall."There's one smoking a joint! And that one's got spots!!If I had my way, I'd have all of ya SHOT!!!"It's called SATIRE, and it's a great jab against the drug war if you realize the character portrayed is a demon Roger Waters was working out among many others on that album. Most of us find this line funny; at the '99 Waters show I went to, I was a little late, and he opened with this song, and at "smoking a joint" the crowd erupted in a cheer. The scary thing is, satire works best when it's very close to the truth...... and for Floyd mixed with cannabis, The Dark Side Of The Moon, Meddle, and Wish You Were Here are much better choices. Atom Heart Mother's another favorite. Animals is somewhat nihilistic, The Wall spectactularly so, and The Final Cut is nothing but bleak - how many albums end up with an aborted suicide and then a nuclear holocaust? Not exactly a happy trip.
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment