Sessions’ crusade against marijuana hurts the most vulnerable
Originally published in Rare by Garett Roush on June 27, 2017
If Attorney General Jeff Sessions had his way, I would once again be at risk of constant seizures.
The former U.S. Senator from Alabama and now the nation’s top cop has started a crusade against states that have allowed access to cannabis for both medicinal and recreational use.
As an epileptic, medicinal marijuana has allowed me to stave off seizures after more than 10 months. No longer do I fear an episode and the pain that comes with it. Mr. Sessions must not ignore the medicinal benefits of marijuana in the free market.
After being force-fed “FDA Approved” benzodiazepines and a consistent rotation of side-effect ridden epilepsy medications, it took only cannabis to stop my tonic-clonic (Grand mal) seizures. Even with the healthy doses of prescribed medication, I continued to have days where I’d randomly wake from an unconscious stupor, enduring unbearable pain. This reality disrupted my life, as it took time away from studies, work and family.
The pills kept adding up, and I kept coming down.
My depression and anxiety – contributing factors to my epileptic episodes – were masked by brain-numbing tablets such as Celexa, Ativan and Klonopin. These medications supplemented my epileptic treatments. It felt like I was quite literally being tranquilized. And even when I took my medication with consistency, a buried convulsion was waiting for the right time to put me in an ambulance.
I tried to understand why the episodes returned and strengthened. I knew that my doctors had my best interest at heart, but I also knew that they weren’t allowed to prescribe me the medicine I really needed: cannabis.
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