cannabisnews.com: Legal or Not, Pot Eases Decorated Vet's Pains





Legal or Not, Pot Eases Decorated Vet's Pains
Posted by CN Staff on October 19, 2003 at 23:00:26 PT
By Reach Ruelas
Source: AZCentral.com 
The smell smacked me as soon as I crossed the doorway into Russell "Sarge" Lintecum's Tempe home. It was the sweet and pungent aroma of pot. Lintecum had just finished what he terms a self-medication session. The decorated Vietnam War veteran suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and has prescribed himself marijuana "as needed."At first, he was surprised the aroma still lingered. Maybe it was the incense stick he had burning instead. I smelled the burnt sage. No, that wasn't it. The 57-year-old Lintecum laughed like a teenager who had been caught.
Lintecum earned a Purple Heart in Vietnam. He is now a blues musician and poet, drawing on his war experiences. He is listed on the roster of the Arizona Commission on the Arts. He does residencies in elementary schools. He also breaks the law nearly every day by smoking marijuana.If not for the smell, I wouldn't have known Lintecum just used pot. He wasn't baked, didn't show any signs of reefer madness. He even talked about the jeopardy a story and photo about his marijuana usage could bring him. He withstood machine-gun fire from enemy soldiers during the war and said he could take any political or judicial heat.Lintecum had tried several medications over the years, all prescribed by doctors at the Department of Veterans Affairs. They left him feeling like a zombie. He found that the marijuana he started smoking recreationally in Vietnam worked best to mask his pain, if taken in small doses.His method doesn't make him popular with most users. "I'll take one to three tokes at a time and I put it out between each one," he said. "That's real annoying to pot smokers. They don't like that at all."I told him some people might be skeptical that he's using marijuana as medicine. "I hope they see it as medicine. They think what Rush Limbaugh takes is medicine."Limbaugh, the nationally syndicated radio personality, admitted on the air that he was addicted to prescription pain medication and was checking himself into a rehabilitation clinic. Limbaugh didn't specify what drug he was addicted to, but several news organizations reported it was OxyContin, a highly addictive form of morphine.Both drugs - OxyContin and marijuana - are effective at masking pain. Both can be habit-forming. Both can be abused.However, one has the blessing of the government. The other doesn't.One makes profits for a major pharmaceutical company. The other can be grown at home.The Food and Drug Administration gave approval to OxyContin, even though the Drug Enforcement Association expressed concern about its potential for abuse.In testimony before a congressional committee two years ago, the director of the DEA, Asa Hutchinson, likened the company that makes OxyContin to a pusher. Hutchinson warned of "aggressive marketing and promotion" used to get doctors to dispense the highly addictive drug to patients.OxyContin was supposed to be a last-resort painkiller, given to, say, late-stage cancer patients. Instead, Hutchinson testified, the company tried to persuade doctors to substitute OxyContin for other less-addictive drugs. The sales technique worked. Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, reported that OxyContin sales topped $1 billion in 2000.The government doesn't recognize any medicinal purpose for marijuana. But the people of Arizona have. Twice.Those voter-approved initiatives on medical marijuana don't help Lintecum much. The law requires users to carry a prescription from a doctor. And doctors in Arizona won't write one because doing so violates federal law. Lintecum could still be carted off to jail for the small amount he possess. "I'm just a common criminal," he said. I asked him if he could show me where he keeps his stash. I told him it would make a better story if it's stored somewhere near his Purple Heart."No, it's right here," he said. He pulled out a wooden box with a glossy finish and a small silver clasp. Inside were some film canisters, a small pair of scissors and some plastic bags. No medals inside.But, he said, back in his recreational marijuana days he had his roach clip hanging off his Purple Heart. "You can use that," he said.Lintecum received his Purple Heart for getting shot in the right knee during his first tour of duty in Vietnam. He volunteered for two more tours, just as he volunteered to join the Army in the first place.Lintecum dropped out of high school to sign up. "Every night, it's on TV," he said, "I felt like they needed me and I wanted to help my coun- try."Lintecum entered the military a fresh-faced teenager, full of rah-rah patriotism. Thinking about his appearance now, he said, "I wouldn't have liked me very much at all." Lintecum's face is still youthful. But it is hidden behind a bushy frame of white hair, almost as if he's wearing it as a costume. His mustache covers most of his upper lip. His beard ends in wisps around the middle of his chest. Lintecum's post-traumatic stress syndrome went undiagnosed for several years. Looking back, he said it manifested itself in bar fights and other acts of aggression. He was homeless, and sometimes he'd stay up all night as if on guard duty."Coming home was a nightmare, because all I wanted was to feel at home and that it was over and that I was alive." He paused and tried to let out a chuckle, but it came out like a cry. "Never got that." He looked out his window. It's been 35 years. He's performed before cheering crowds alongside some of his musical idols. He's parlayed music and poetry into a comfortable living. He's met grateful veterans. But the hurt was still fresh. He took off his glasses and wiped his eyes.The marijuana only masks the memories, much like Limbaugh's pills only masked his back pain. Lintecum still hasn't dealt with much of his experiences. "It's a big blur," he said. He reaches for a medallion that's on a shelf above the desk where he keeps his stash. It's a bronze star on a red background. It's from a North Vietnamese soldier's cap. "I don't know how I got this. It scares me," he said.Doctors, with the blessing of the federal government, are testing a drug that might help post-traumatic stress disorder patients unlock memories in therapy sessions, dealing with the problem, rather than just suppressing it. The drug being tested is Ecstasy.Lintecum, leaning on his cane, walked me outside and showed me his new red Cadillac. It's a gift he bought himself after starting a new enterprise. Users of certain cellphones can now download Lintecum's voice screaming "incoming" when they get a call. Lintecum can't believe how popular it is either. The license plate on the new car reads "3 Tours." The tears were gone. Lintecum seemed happy. Although I figured that after walking through his Vietnam memories with me, he would probably need to medicate himself again.I got in my car and turned on the radio. The baseball game had already started, brought to me by something called Prilosec. It had been a long day. A beer sounded good.Source: AZCentral.com (AZ)Author: Reach RuelasPublished: October 20, 2003Copyright: 2003 azcentral.comWebsite: http://www.azcentral.com/Contact: http://www.azcentral.com/opinions/sendaletter.htmlCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #1 posted by FoM on October 21, 2003 at 21:08:06 PT
Letter To The Editor
Viet Vets Stereotyped AgainOctober 22, 2003I was disappointed to see Republic columnist Richard Ruelas help perpetuate the myth of the dysfunctional, drug-dependent, combat-crazed Vietnam veteran in his recent column about marijuana-smoking vet Russell "Sarge" Lintecum, who needs it to keep the demons of war at bay ("Legal or not, pot eases decorated vet's pains," Local, Monday).Even though attitudes about military service have changed radically in the 30 years since the war ended, the myth still persists that the typical veteran of that era is a drug-crazed loser still on the post-traumatic stress disorder dole, who might snap at any minute if not treated gently by a guilty society. Now I see Richard has come up with a new wrinkle in portraying a veteran's non-apologetic drug abuse as sadly justifiable, as opposed to the hypocrisy of the right exemplified by Rush Limbaugh.The truth is that the vast majority of Vietnam veterans, despite the trauma of war and an ungrateful country, came home and picked up the pieces of their lives to become law-abiding, contributing members of society. We are much more accurately represented by the John McCains and Rick Romleys of the world than by this constant parade of misfits whose favorite word is "incoming." Those of us who actually fought in that war, and have the combat decorations to prove it, know just how much of a burden the dope-smoking slackers were and we bridle to see them portrayed as typical by the naively solicitous press.Of course, as Richard admits when he says it would make a better story if the guy kept his dope in the same box as his Purple Heart, all veterans of whatever war are still being exploited for one political agenda or another. If it weren't so sad in terms of the damage these myths do in undermining the ability of war veterans to cope with the actual stress of returning from combat, it would be funny. - Peter Van Haren, Phoenixhttp://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/1022wedlets225.html
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment