After reading that a sub-committee of the Republican Party of Texas added a plank supporting the removal of criminal penalties for people who use cannabis on the advice of a physician, I want to add my voice to those supporting this plank.

I’ve been good friends with three people that have used this controversial plant for medical reasons. I’d like to tell you a little bit about them.

I know a Viet-Nam veteran who is less than 10 years my elder, but suffers with advanced arthritis. He works when he can, but subsists mainly on disability and the charity of others. He’s very wary about becoming addicted to prescription pain meds for good reasons. Over the years, I set up a couple of hand me down PCs for him. His house always smelled like a rope factory on fire. He says it helps him, but maybe he’s just a stoner. I don’t know and I don’t care.

It had been 20 years since I’d seen a very sharp computer programmer I used to work with. She was never one to go out with the party crowd back then. More recently, a common friend that I’ve kept up with asked me to help him with her yard work before we watched the Sunday games. This surprised me because I’d always remembered her as being very physically fit. I was shocked to find that she was in a wheel chair because of MS. Her house smelled like an Amsterdam coffee shop. She says it helps, and I believe her.

I still miss my brother in law that was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. The worst thing about stage four cancers is that there is no stage five. The nausea from the disease along with the chemo was problematic for him to the point that he couldn’t maintain his treatment schedule. His sister asked me about it and I did not hesitate to commit a “criminal act” to try and help him.

What would you do?

Bob Chambers