Who deserves aid more?

As we have seen on the news recently our Prime Minister – John Key enjoying his pacific island holiday with lots of smiles and dancing and busy pledging millions of taxpayers dollars to aid the pacific people, yet is unable to come to the aid of the sick people of New Zealand with the funding of Sativex.

Sativex is a pharmaceutical product derived from the cannabis plant, we are not allowed the natural plant because of health effects specified by his ministry yet we see on the news him partaking in a psychoactive substance called Kava and he did so enthusiastically as it appears it’s not his first try of this drug. His visit to Niue we see in the news him promoting a natural plant that has natural medicinal values that he wants to commercialise here in New Zealand called Noni which is all well and good for those who will benefit from this natural plant, but it smacks in the face of disbelief that his government has such double standards when it comes to Sativex, it simply makes no sense as to why he would partake in one psychoactive substance and promote a natural medicinal plant yet refuse to show interest in a pharmaceutical version of cannabis.

I ask John Key to front up on this issue and tell the New Zealand public why he denies the sick and disabled citizens of New Zealand an alternative medication that will be of benefit to them, why he would rather we were sent to jail for using the illegal substance cannabis, and most importantly why he holds such double standards?

All we feel like now is second class citizens in our own country.

Regards
Name withheld due to legalities of the topic

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0907/S00123.htm

Dear Hon Paul Hutchison

I have just got access to the Hansard document of the Medicinal Cannabis Bill which you and your party rejected.

I am the one who suffers from the rare condition known as Nail Patella Syndrome, it is something I have lived with my whole life being of the genetic nature and knowing how rare this condition is I am surprised that you made this statement ‘I had a prominent Wellington physician tonight point out how conditions like nail-patella syndrome are absolutely rare and there are many other options to treat it with.’ when every physician I have ever had examine me has never heard or seen this condition before, it is so rare in fact that one orthopedic surgeon who examined me about 3 years ago had it as an exam trick question in 1975 but has never seen a case until I came along.

I have participated in genetic research for Baltimore University in the US who managed to find 5 families in the world with this condition, even then they had trouble tracking that number down.

I question the reliability of the information provided by this prominent physician from Wellington and would like you to give him my details so he can contact me directly.

I have used painkillers, I have used anti inflammatory drugs and I have used anti depressants to block the pain and none have been effective enough to warrant continued use, also it scares me the side effects generated by these drugs and the chance of addiction is foremost in my mind. One of the drugs you would rather we took – Codeine has now given me something else to worry about, I now have reflux. The psychoactive effect of some of these drugs are not pleasant, some have left me fearing for my life, others have left my mind muddled and unable to work.

Cannabis was the drug medical users used before the pharmaceutical industry existed and it works very well for a number of different conditions, is it any wonder that people who use current pharmaceutical drugs who then find they aren’t doing the job they say they do turn to cannabis for solutions? Based on examples provided by the govt, you have made it quite clear that due to health reasons we are not allowed to use raw leaf to alleviate our symptoms and you would prefer that we use Sativex instead. The issue I have here is that Sativex is currently un-subsidised and approx. $900 a month has to be found to use it.

This is un-affordable to many including myself, I can buy an ounce of raw leaf for $350 that will last me 4 months!

If you really care about the health effects of raw leaf on the human body then I’m sure you will go out of your way to ensure a subside is applied to Sativex as soon as possible.

I have had knee surgery from the age of 8, all up I have had 6 knee operations to allow me to walk, my whole life has been one of pain and trying to find the right solutions to try and live a normal life.

I have a Femural Distal Osteotomy coming up shortly and I intend using raw leaf for my post operative care, I hope I am not arrested for using it in this form since it is still illegal which really doesn’t make sense considering a pharmaceutical version is legal.

Failure to try and make the healthier option cheaper will mean more and more medical users of cannabis will be persecuted, prosecuted, convicted and jailed because of your party’s inaction, please ensure these new container cells have wheelchair ramps.

Regards
Name withheld due to legalities of the topic

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0907/S00081.htm