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MS Patient Faces Hearing for Medical Marijuana


Eartha Melzer


At the age of 29, Matthew Barber, a disabled Gulf War vet, was diagnosed
with terminal multiple sclerosis. He became paralyzed, lost his memory, and
experienced extreme pain from lesions on his brain.

Barber tried all conventional treatments, with no improvement. Medical bills
cost Matthew and his wife Laura everything they owned, and Laura had to quit
her job to take care of him.

Two years ago while in the VA medical center for emergency treatment of
Matthew’s agony and paralysis, the Barbers were told by a visiting
neurologist (from California) that marijuana was the only treatment that
offered promise for MS patients.

Because marijuana is not legal for medical use in Michigan, the Barbers had
to break the law to get Matthew marijuana.

Smoking marijuana, Matthew improved significantly.

Last month the Barbers were stopped for speeding. Police searched their
vehicle and discovered Matthew’s cannabis -- two ounces -- a month’s supply.

The couple explained that they had the marijuana for medicinal reasons. They
say the police were civil and apologetic as they arrested them and took them
to jail.

WON’T STOP

On Tuesday, July 6, the Barbers go to court for a pre-trial hearing on the
charge of criminal possession of cannabis.

Matthew says he will not stop using marijuana. Laura says she will not stop
helping him get the marijuana he needs,

“I have seen the change in my husband in 18 months of doing this,” Laura
says. “My husband is able to walk. Not long distances, but he has more use
of himself than he has had in the last three years. We have noticed a slow
down in the progression of the lesions in his brain.”

Matthew feels that God had a hand in developing this legal situation.

“We were tired of sneaking around,” he said. Matthew had prayed about what
to do and received a message: don’t walk in fear; find a solution so you don
’t
have to be afraid.

The Barbers are now ready to face a jury trail in hopes of establishing the
right to use medical marijuana.

They feel that Matthew’s life will be in jeopardy if he is imprisoned and
forced to stop using cannabis.

They say they chose to face this risk and argue the issue not just for
themselves but for all the critically-ill people who use medical marijuana
and are forced to live in fear.

In related news, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed last week to hear a case on
the legality of medical marijuana.

Marijuana activists
plan show of support

The local Michigan Cannabis Action Network chapter is planning to rally
outside the Grand Traverse County courthouse at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 6
to show support for Matt and Laura Barber.

“He is not willing to go back to existing in a fog of pain, nausea, and
drugged confusion, unable to walk, needing to be catheterized or diapered,”
said activist Melody Karr in a release to local media. “The possession of
cannabis in any amount in Michigan is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a
year in jail and/or a $2000 fine. If Matthew goes to jail and is unable to
use cannabis, he will experience a re-admittance and exacerbation of his
disease within a matter of days, and death is a real possibility. Other
medical cannabis patient-advocates have been killed in exactly this way.”

Karr said the Barber’s attorney will request leniency in light of Matt’s
condition and the fact that his use is medicinal. “But because there is no
medical marijuana law in Michigan, and the federal government has interfered
extensively in states which do have medical marijuana laws, this is by no
means a foolproof tactic.”

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"Michael" <muirhead@haidagwaii.net> wrote in message
news:uPWdnV8vQpS-oSDZnZ2dnUVZ_rKdnZ2d@qcislands.net..
> http://www.northernexpress.com/edit..ures.asp?id=449
> Contact: info@northernexpress.com

>If Matthew goes to jail and is unable to use cannabis, he will experience a
>re-admittance and exacerbation of his disease within a matter of days, and
>death is a real possibility. Other medical cannabis patient-advocates have
>been killed in exactly this way.”

I applaud the cause but i think this story is a bit sensationalized to say
the least.  Med mj does NOT stop the disease process, i have never heard of
it anyway, it just helps you get through it a little easier.  Has anyone
ever heard of someone DIEING from their med mj being taken away?

jodi

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Michael wrote:
> http://www.northernexpress.com/edit..ures.asp?id=449
> Contact: info@northernexpress.com
>
>
> MS Patient Faces Hearing for Medical Marijuana
>
>
> Eartha Melzer
>
>
> At the age of 29, Matthew Barber, a disabled Gulf War vet, was diagnosed
> with terminal multiple sclerosis. He became paralyzed, lost his memory, an
d
> experienced extreme pain from lesions on his brain.

*Terminal* MS??  Is this a new classification of the disease?  Or is it
a case of "artistic license" on the part of the writer?

Don't get me wrong, I feel for the guy, but this article starts right
out implying that MS is a fatal disease.  That, I think, is sending the
wrong message.

This seems to be just the opposite of the "I beat MS & you can too!"
type story.

> The Barbers are now ready to face a jury trail in hopes of establishing th
e
> right to use medical marijuana.

First, let me say that I am not a lawyer, so this is just based on my
understanding of the legal system.

While I think he's probably taking the right approach to his court case,
I don't see how it will really change anything, even if the jury
acquits.  All it will mean is that *in his case*, the jury declined to
punish him.

It will not set a legal precedent, AFAIK.  Legal precedent is only
established by a judge's written opinion/ruling.  Another case like this
could come up, & with a different jury, have a different outcome.

Just because a jury returns a not guilty verdict, that does not
establish a new "right", or create a new law.  All it means is that they
declined to convict that person, under those particular circumstances.

The PR effect will be good, though.  Perhaps bringing the issue to the
forefront and getting the attention of some sympathetic legislators, who
*do* have the power to write a new law or amend the current one.

Just my $.02

Alex

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Jodi wrote:
> I applaud the cause but i think this story is a bit sensationalized to say
> the least.  Med mj does NOT stop the disease process, i have never heard o
f
> it anyway, it just helps you get through it a little easier.  Has anyone
> ever heard of someone DIEING from their med mj being taken away?

hi Jodi, i saw in another post that Tracey's going to be starting
Tysabri -- all the very best of good wishes to her!

actually, there HAS been research indicating that cannabis has a
neuro-protective effect (or, i guess that would be, some of the CBDs,
in some as yet unknown combination, seem to offer such). there were a
couple of abstracts posted her ein the ng, also search PubMed for
cannabis + neuroprotective should bring them up for anyone with an
interest in this.

as for dying from losing medical MJ, i'd say Peter McWilliams is a
possible example. here's an aticle by William F. Buckley written after
Peter's death:  http://www.rense.com/general2/pm.htm

he was one of our first CA post-Prop-215 medpot activists, as well as
one of the first to be prosecuted for growing his own MJ in accordance
with California law. he was charged i Federal court, and not permitted
to inform the jury he'd been growing for medical reasons, because Fed
law acknowledges NO medical reasons. he was jailed and paroled, but
with a mandatory drug test required to ensue he was't using marijuana.
he told everyone who'd listen that Marinol did not work for his nausea
and vomiting, while cannabis itself did. the judge said BS, it's the
same stuff, so obviously it works the same. Peter's death was caused by
choking to death on his own vomit. gee, maybe that means he was.
y'know, *right* about Marinol?

he might be dead, but his written works live on. and hey, at least he's
not angering the Feds by  obeying State law anymore; we can't have
*that*, now can we?  [/sarcasm]

hope you adn yours are surviving hte heat!

alla de best,
RD

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Alex wrote:
> *Terminal* MS??  Is this a new classification of the disease?  Or is it
> a case of "artistic license" on the part of the writer?

Alex, there's a sub-type of M.S., now known as "Marburg's Variant," fka
"Acute M.S.," which has a *very* quick, fatal course -- often within a
year to 18 months post-diagnosis. if this guy's been knocking around
for a while, then it's probably *not* that, but that's what i always
think of when anyoe stresses the "terminal" part.

depending on where his lesions are located, he may indeed have the
potential to die from M.S. , rather than the more common "complications
due to M.S." my ow lesion placement, the neuros tell me, means that
*potentially* I could either choke on my own saliva, or simply stop
breathing, as a *direct* result of M.S. just because the potential
exists doesn't mean it WILL happen, of course, so i got my swallowing
training and breathing eval from an O.T., and do the swallowing
exercises in the handout, and just get on with my life the rest of the
time.

> Don't get me wrong, I feel for the guy, but this article starts right
> out implying that MS is a fatal disease.  That, I think, is sending the
> wrong message.

M.S. *can* be a fatal disease; it's simply that most people who have it
die of other things before the M.S. gets them.

the semantics chage, depending on whether one wants to stress that M.S.
isn't a death sentence (it's generally not, at least not around the
time of most folks' early course), OR, whether one wants to stress that
it's a damned serious disease that needs research.

for example, people do not "die of AIDS." HIV+ folks who go on to
full-blown AIDS die of opportunistic infections and rare diseases
picked up because their compromised immune systems cannot fight them.
yet, *nobody* would say "AIDS is not a fatal disease."  it's also "now
a treatable disease," just like M.S., with HAART and the newer,
single-pill-covers-lots-of-stuff drugs being developed and tested, and
HIV+ people living for decades, as opposed to months, after their
diagnosis.

after 16 years, i do think it's mostly semantics. what i'd say is, if
you've been diagnosed with M.S., talk to your doc, see about drugs,
physical therapy, etc., and then get on with living your life! if
you're RR, you've got remissions to look forward to -- when not in an
active relapse, why think about M.S. and what *might* lay down the
road? not just fatality, or lack thereof, but so many folks get the
diagnosis and immediately start worryig about wheelchairs, disability
retirement, other folks with M.S.'s symptoms, other folks with MS.'s
disease courses -- i would stress the truth that everyone is different,
that people's disease courses differ dramatically, and that you should
worry about the symptoms and problems you're having NOW, as opposed to
wasting time and energy worrying about what *might* happen 10 or 20
years down the road.

everyone eventually dies of *something*, it's what you do before
reaching that point that matters. do what you can for as long as you
can, and ifwhen certain things become impossible, find other things to
replace them. well, that's my philosophy, and i ain't dead yet, so i
figure it's as good as any!  ;->

RD

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Rose;

Great to see you back!  Missed your articulate, informative posts!

<snip>
 
>
> M.S. *can* be a fatal disease; it's simply that most people who have it
> die of other things before the M.S. gets them.
>
> the semantics chage, depending on whether one wants to stress that M.S.
> isn't a death sentence (it's generally not, at least not around the
> time of most folks' early course), OR, whether one wants to stress that
> it's a damned serious disease that needs research.

Exactly.  You CAN die of MS; the damn disease is attacking the central
nervous system, and if it gets into the brain sections that control
breathing, heart beat, or other essential functons, well, it's
good-bye.

We had a young woman writing here who died of MS at age 36.  Remember
Julie, aka JD Gargoyle?  She just stopped breathing. Just stopped.

Quite a loss; I still miss her to this day.  Damn this disease.

Sylvia

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"rose" <rosedawn_scott@yahoo.com> wrote in news:1153328815.444044.198120@
75g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:

> everyone eventually dies of *something*, it's what you do before

I plan to live forever. So far, so good.

Fred.

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rose wrote:
> Alex wrote: 
>
> Alex, there's a sub-type of M.S., now known as "Marburg's Variant," fka
> "Acute M.S.," which has a *very* quick, fatal course -- often within a
> year to 18 months post-diagnosis. if this guy's been knocking around
> for a while, then it's probably *not* that, but that's what i always
> think of when anyoe stresses the "terminal" part.

See, that's what I like about this group.  Even though I've been kicking
around here for several years now, I still manage to learn something new.

<snip>
 
>
> M.S. *can* be a fatal disease; it's simply that most people who have it
> die of other things before the M.S. gets them.
>
> the semantics chage, depending on whether one wants to stress that M.S.
> isn't a death sentence (it's generally not, at least not around the
> time of most folks' early course), OR, whether one wants to stress that
> it's a damned serious disease that needs research.

Ok, I can buy that.  The medical equivalent of political spin?

I guess my reaction was due to my own experience with telling my dad
that I had MS.  He knew I had been having problems & that I was going
through a bunch of tests.  When I got the diagnosis, I called him.

When I told him it was MS, he broke down & couldn't continue the phone
call, he thought that I was going to die.  I had to call another
relative, & have her call him to explain that MS is not a death
sentence.  Then he called back & we were able to talk about it.

So, I guess that's why I jumped when I saw the reference to 'terminal' MS.

<snip>

> after 16 years, i do think it's mostly semantics. what i'd say is, if
> you've been diagnosed with M.S., talk to your doc, see about drugs,
> physical therapy, etc., and then get on with living your life! if
> you're RR, you've got remissions to look forward to -- when not in an
> active relapse, why think about M.S. and what *might* lay down the
> road? not just fatality, or lack thereof, but so many folks get the
> diagnosis and immediately start worryig about wheelchairs, disability
> retirement, other folks with M.S.'s symptoms, other folks with MS.'s
> disease courses -- i would stress the truth that everyone is different,
> that people's disease courses differ dramatically, and that you should
> worry about the symptoms and problems you're having NOW, as opposed to
> wasting time and energy worrying about what *might* happen 10 or 20
> years down the road.
>
> everyone eventually dies of *something*, it's what you do before
> reaching that point that matters. do what you can for as long as you
> can, and ifwhen certain things become impossible, find other things to
> replace them. well, that's my philosophy, and i ain't dead yet, so i
> figure it's as good as any!  ;->

I agree completely.  While my life has changed drastically as I have
progressed, it is certainly far from over.  I do what I can, adapt what
I can, & look for new things to try.

But it has been a bumpy road getting to that mindset.  I still, at
times, find myself getting down, thinking about the things that I used
to be able to do, that I really enjoyed.  But it usually doesn't last
long, & then I move on.

As far as new things, I think I'm finally going to get my amateur radio
license.  I've been wanting to get into amateur radio for years, but,
well, just never got one of those 'roundtuit' thingies.

Now that I have plenty of time on my hands, I think I'll finally get to
it.  Yea!

Alex

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"rose" <rosedawn_scott@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1153327847.180821.269900@i42g2000cwa.googlegroups.com..
> hi Jodi, i saw in another post that Tracey's going to be starting
> Tysabri -- all the very best of good wishes to her!

May not happen on the 28th, we just heard that they haven't gotten insurance
approval yet, so waiting on a call.

> as for dying from losing medical MJ, i'd say Peter McWilliams is a
> possible example. here's an aticle by William F. Buckley written after
> Peter's death:  http://www.rense.com/general2/pm.htm

I'll read it, thanks rose.

> hope you adn yours are surviving hte heat!

Just went and looked, it is 96 right now, not toooo bad, suppose to hit 110
this weekend though.

> alla de best,

back atcha!   Take care Rose,
jodi

> RD
>

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Sylv wrote:
> We had a young woman writing here who died of MS at age 36.  Remember
> Julie, aka JD Gargoyle?  She just stopped breathing. Just stopped.
>
> Quite a loss; I still miss her to this day.  Damn this disease.

hi Sylvia,

yes, i remember Julie very well. also remembered how her death promtped
a minor outcry from other posters, when Judith told us at ASMS about
it.."M.S. is not fatal, so what did she REALLY die from?" and such.

at the time, i was blown away by how *rude* it was -- to get froggy at
people who'd been close friends with Julie for years and who were
grieving her loss -- but after a while, i decided the posts were from
people who were frightened, and fear often brings thoughtlessness with
it.

see, i do think the best way to address this kind of reaction is to
tell newly-diagnosed folks the TRUTH, that you CAN'T predict your own
disease course by looking the courses others' disease follows. don't
look at other folks wiht M.S. and think "that's my future" -- it may
be, or it may not be, and even if it is, your own reactions to
increasing disability will differ substantially, depending on the
individual. also, i many cases, it seems that the disability does creep
up slowly enough to give you more time to sort of ease into it -- not
that it's easy, but we tend to start adapting in small ways early on,
if we're both fortunate enough and committed enough, it can help in the
move from smaller things done to make the day easier, to larger things
done to make the day (in some cases) possible to spend out of bed,
awake, and in the groove (so to speak!).

there's *so* much variety among us, sub-types of M.S., symptoms,
progression, what works and what doesn't -- there's just no way to
predict what will work for who, for how long, right after diagnosis,
and no one-size-fits-all ways of dealing with the whole concept, and
its various realities.

don't be scared by people who aer very disabled by M.S. -- they're not
'your future,' they're other people with a chronic incureable disease,
and they *are* people, not scary objects thrown in your path to freak
you out! don't spend all your time and energy stressing and worrying
about what might happen. you ['might' walk out the door and get mowed
down by a bus -- does that mean you should never walk out the door?
also, the other side of the coin: don't be intimidated by people with
M.S. who are out there climbing Mount Everest and running marathons,
LOL!

those are the 2 extremes that the M.S. Society itself likes to
showcase, it seems to me, based o nthe aticles in the M.S. rags i get
and the seminars i'm invited to -- Super Crips and Saintly Crips.
either the folks in "Inside M.S." and its ilk are completely unaffected
by their M.S., have high-powered 6-figure-salary jobs, do white water
kayaking for fun, while completing their PhDs and raising families; OR,
they've been bed-ridden for 20 years, but have incredibly positive
attitudes, spout platitudes at the drop of a stent, and (this is the
real 'must have') volunteer for their local Society chapter for like 60
hours a week. and they frequenty say idiotic things like "M.S. is a
gift." Aleph Resh Gimel Heh! (ARGH -- hee, i don't think it would
actually spell a real word!)

look at your own symptoms, speak with your own doctor, talk to your own
family -- take care of your own biz, instead of worrying about 'when'
you'll be in a chair, or getting freaked out by what M.S. does to other
people.

oh heyk, i don't think i mentioned -- i know some of y'all remember
when the M.S. group decided the SP folks were too scary, and became an
RRMS-Only Group. the former SP members *did* get another group
going..BUT..having been subject to bigotry by others with M.S.
themselves, we took a vote and the majority decided *not* to make it sn
SPMS-specific group after all, so now it's an 'all are welcome' group.
hee hee -- it's held every weekend at the Malcolm X Library in Encanto,
if anyone in the aea is reading and wants to attend.

always reminds me of Chris Rock's routine, where he said if ther's
anything named after Martin Luther King, you know it's a black
neighborhood -- LOL, LOL, we've got MLK, Jr., also Malcolm X, and even
the Toussaint L'Overture Teen Center! oh, man, I *do* get the biggest
giggle-fits, thinking of the folks who drove 20 miles because they were
afraid to leave their cars in the parking lot of an Af-Am Church during
the group -- ROTFL, they're gonna just *love* the Malcolm X Memorial
Library, i imagine!!!  }:D

anyway, it's good to 'see' you Sylvia!  :->
RD

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