Dreadful Diseases: Dreadful Mistreatment: Quadriplegia, Multiple Sclerosis, Epilepsy, ALS

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - Here is the really weird part. These patients are severely disabled, bedfast or house-bound with a few in wheel chairs. The Oregon Medical board demanded that I see these patients IN MY OFFICE. This was cruel, stupid and impossible. They revoked my license because I didn’t force them to come in.

I arranged these in order on purpose. I was a trained Ph.D. Pharmacologist 22 years before I was a physician and I heard about cannabis about 1928, 50 years ago. I sold newspapers in the red-light district of Klamath Falls, Oregon. All of the newsboys smoked cigarette butts and I tried it myself. I was 5 years old.

There were some Mexican kids who were smoking “loco weed”. I knew what weed meant and many of my customers smoked tobacco. It took me a while to find out what “loco” meant. (This is an aside).

When I started medical school I had my first exposure to cannabis medicine. I could not easily connect medicine with “loco” but this started a 50 year study of cannabis as medicine.

During the 70’s, I was exposed like everyone else to cannabis mythology – it was a “party drug”, and what parties they were!

When in Oregon Medical Marijuana became legal and the list of 9 medical conditions was publicized by the Oregon Department of Health Services (DHS) came out my first reaction was – these DHS people have been doing toooooo much partying but I decided to go along with this mythology.

The DHS said maybe 500 people in Oregon would be eligible for a permit to use MJ. I figured to have maybe 20 MJ patients. I had that many in the first week and by the end of the year 1999, I had over 500 MJ patients.

As a former professor of pharmacology I was bewildered by the barrage of patients coming to see me. Early on it appeared that most were for chronic pain with severe muscle spasms both intestinal and skeletal a close second.

Then I had my first quadriplegic from the neck down. I knew they were paralyzed but how come they were having spasms and pain. A doctor does NOT question a patient who cannot even move his hands. He was a Vietnam Vet who was hit by a drunk driver the first week he was home.

He knew of the beneficial effects of cannabis from his time in Nam but he had a very bad time with nurses, doctors and other health care workers who didn’t want to touch or give him the “devil weed” which he said was the only medicine which worked. We put him on “brownies” but the health workers wouldn’t touch them. Our advocates brought him brownies.

After this came the next three and I said to myself ALS or Lou Gehrigs Disease, should be included. To cover my rear-end I checked my computer. Yes by golly, to use a Sarah Palin term, cannabis works for ALS just like it works for the other 4 nerve diseases.

More information on the history of Dr. Leveque can be found in his book, General Patton's Dogface Soldier of WWII about his own experiences "from a foxhole".
Order the book by mail by following this link: Dogface Soldier

Watch for more streaming video question and answer segments about medical marijuana with Bonnie King and Dr. Phil Leveque.

Click on this link for other articles and video segments about PTSD and medical marijuana on Salem-News.com:
Dr. Leveque INTERVIEWS & ARTICLES

Salem-News.com Marijuana Coverage

Where and How to Smoke Legal Marijuana without Fear of Arrest in the U.S.

Eulogy of a Great Warrior: Hoss Plourde

The Ripple Effect How Marijuana Laws Are Impacting Society

Audit the Audit

Welcome Home, Tom

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Eric The Epileptic December 12, 2008 9:09 am (Pacific time)

Thank you Dr Leveque, for having the courage to speak when others would not. Thank you for the articles you and Bonnie have videoed, I have watched them all. In feb 08, I stopped taking my meds for Epilepsy (Zonegran 3caps/2Xdaily 100mgand Lamictal 1Tab/2Xdaily 200mg). Before then, I suffered 25-30+ seizures a month. After discontinuing my pharmaceuticals, I now have less than 5 a month using JUST MMJ!!! Hallelujah!!! I know there are epileptics that have more than me, but having a drastic shrinkage in # while just using MMJ, was enough to tell my friends, family and Neurologist. Now my Dr. wont see me, he says Im refusing his treatment. Glad I dont need to see him anymore! Wish I lived in your area instead of San Bernardino county. Have a wonderful Christmas!

G/2-3; December 12, 2008 4:46 am (Pacific time)

ah..,yeah..,ditto, precisely what we need.,think I'll have some now..,take it easy.

Thanks Doc December 11, 2008 1:20 am (Pacific time)

Doctor Leveque, you are an invaluable walking data base. Thanks for having the courage to take the critical route through this maze of lies and government deception.

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