“Marijuana: The Forbidden Medicine” by Lester Grinspoon and
James Bakalar, (1993), (sixth in a series on the most important books about
cannabis). By Chuck Ream
The great doctor Lester Grinspoon; associate professor of
Psychiatry at Harvard University (retired) has done more than any other
physician to publicize the value of medical marijuana.
The agony of his young son taught Dr. Grinspoon about cannabis.
“Danny was first given the diagnosis of acute lymphatic Leukemia
in July 1967; he was ten years old”. Side
effects from the chemotherapy that Dr. Grinspoon’s son received were uncontrollable.
“He would start to vomit shortly after treatment and continue retching for up
to eight hours. He vomited in the car as we drove home, and on arriving he had
to lie in bed with his head over a bucket on the floor. Still I was shocked
when Betsy (his wife) suggested that we find cannabis for Danny.” “I dismissed the idea.”
Betsy, however,
immediately found cannabis for her child and gave it to him before his
next treatment. Grinspoon says “I shall never forget my surprise”. Before and
after chemo Danny was relaxed and comfortable. “Finally they let me in on the
secret”. Mrs. Grinspoon had asked a high school student to get pot for Danny,
and it arrived within minutes.
Dr. Grinspoon saw the astounding change. “My surprise gave
way to relief as I saw how comfortable Danny was…we were all delighted when no
nausea or vomiting followed. On the way home he asked if he could stop for a submarine
sandwich…”
Danny died, but cannabis let him be “much more comfortable
during the remaining year of his life”.
“Marijuana. The
Forbidden Medicine” shows that cannabis
was a basic part of every major system of medicine since ancient China and India. Cannabis was re-introduced into western
medicine by Dr. W. B. O’Shaughnessy “a young professor at the Medical College
of Calcutta who had observed its use in India”. It effectively treated pain,
epilepsy, rabies, tetanus, “rheumatism”, and was “an anticonvulsive remedy of
the greatest value”. England’s Queen Victoria, certainly no hippie, used
cannabis tincture regularly.
Grinspoon shows
how neither science nor reason has ever been allowed to have the slightest
influence on medical marijuana policy. In the thirties the American
Medical Association was never consulted and then accused of “trying to throw
obstacles in the way of something the federal government is trying to do” when
its representative spoke the truth. In the eighties the DEA totally ignored its
own administrative judge when he ruled, following lengthy hearings, that
“Marijuana… is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to
man”.
Powerful evidence
is presented on the benefit of cannabis treatment for cancer
chemotherapy, glaucoma, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, paraplegia and quadriplegia,
AIDS, chronic pain, migraines, skin diseases, menstrual cramps, labor pain,
depression and other mood disorders, insomnia, antimicrobial and anti tumor
effects, and more. The safety of cannabis should make it a first option for
treatment, rather than a last resort.
This book tells
the amazing and nearly unknown story of what happened in Michigan in 1979.
Mae Nutt, now deceased, is the “godmother” of Michigan
Medical Marijuana. Her son Keith developed testicular cancer at age 22. After
two surgeries, Keith was given a chemotherapy drug that made him “vomit violently
for eight to ten hours, and afterward be so profoundly nauseated that he could
not bear to look at or smell food”. Mae Nutt read about medical marijuana, then
called her state representative and was referred to activist Roger
Winthrop…(hey, that’s r.d.). She got the medicine.
“The next day we took the marijuana to Keith in the
hospital”, said Mae. “After he smoked it the vomiting abruptly stopped. The
sudden change was amazing to see.” His nausea also ended; he felt hungry and
gained weight. He joined the family for dinner rather than lying in his room
“like a wounded animal”. He was able to testify before the Senate Judiciary
committee about a medical marijuana law that was in the Michigan legislature,
and enjoyed teaching others about the medicine.
Testimony was also given by a Grand Rapids Christian
Reformed pastor, Reverend Negen. He described the agony of his daughter’s
chemotherapy, and how he had to send his sons out onto the street to find the
only thing that helped her.
“On October 10,
1979 the Michigan House voted 100 to 0 in favor” of making medical
marijuana available (the Senate vote was 33 to 1). (35 states passed medical
marijuana during this period – the feds squashed all attempts to implement
these laws).
Now that 63% of
Michigan voters support medical marijuana we expect that our legislature will
get back on board, and quickly pass H.B. 4271 - the Medical Marijuana Provisioning
Centers Act. Michigan patients need safe access to cannabis based medications.
