The Government and Medical Marijuana

Irvin Rosenfeld, a 56-year-old Floridian with a painful bone disease called multiple congenital cartilaginous exostoses is sent marijuana every month to help him live a pain free lifestyle. Not from his "dude", but from the U.S. Government.

Rosenfeld became a patient in the federal Investigational New Drug Program in 1982, and has received 300 joints every 25 days for the past 27 years, consuming about 10 to 12 per day, says NBCMiami. The marijuana is grown and delivered by the same government that ended support for medical marijuana in 1992.

Why do Irv Rosenfeld and the handful of others still on the government's INDP list get their medicine directly from the same entity that imprisons others for getting their medicine on the street? In one state, you may be a patient; in another state, a criminal. Medical marijuana should be available to all who need it, without worry of jail time.

Of course, NBCMiami only covered the story because the day it ran Irv was allowed to smoke his 115,000th joint legally. The article did a good job of inlcuding Irv's story in his own words, which by itself is a plight for the legalization of medical marijuana on a federal level. However, the rest of the article was filled with your run-of-the-mill pot references. When will the media start taking a real look at the pain and suffering of those who are not afforded the comfort of being able to take their medicine legally in their own home?