Tuesdays With Mary

Breathless

I spoke to my mom a couple of times this week.  Her voice was a bit rough and she was having trouble getting deep breaths.  She's still recovering from her surgery and she sounded worse than before. 

My brother Shawn and his wife Lynn are visiting for a few days, which is good.  My mom sounded better today.  She was up and around all day and felt well enough to go out for dinner.  Next week she's supposed to start her chemotherapy again, but I'm not sure whether she'll be well enough for it.  Meanwhile I think cruise plans are on hold.

Economist on Medical Marijuana

The Economist April 29 issue has an article on medical marijuana.  Last month the US FDA issued a statement saying that there are no accepted medical uses for smoking marijuana.  This is despite the fact that marijuana has in fact been used for medicinal purposes for more than a thousand years.  Oh yeah, and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences has issued a contradictory report showing that there are legitimate medical uses for marijuana in treating patients with a range of medical problems including cancer, AIDS and multiple sclerosis.

• The Economist: Reefer Madness
• Daily News: FDA Turns Deaf Ear to Marijuana
• HealthCental: FDA Opposition Fuels Controversy
• NPR: Medical Marijuana: Science or Politics