vol1 - Page 266
Page 266
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Once a glaucoma patient realizes marijuana's thera-
peutic utility_ he/she encounters a paradox. Since marijuana is
iiiii_z
generally, albeit illegally, available throughout the United
States, and because obtaining licit access to the drug is
extremely difficult_ many glaucoma patients are forced to obtain
the drug outside r_/ulated channels and must employ it without
benefit of competent madical supervisiono Not only is this a
tragic catch-22, but it clearly demonstrates the extent to which
_laucoma patients truly accept marijuanaSs medical utility. Not
only have patients gone to extraordinary lengths to exhaust every
legal means of securing marijuanas but many have elected to risk
using illicit supplies.
Jean Barnhart_ a glaucoma patient in her fiftiesp is an
excellent example of this unfortunate process° After reading
i_ information from her local library, Jean tried for nearly a
decade to find someone who could even tell her and her physician
__i/ (°..continued)
of glaucomas declared:
While Z was in Vietnam, I noticed that smoking
marijuana seemed to improve my vision. After I smoked
marijuana my blurred vision came into sharp focus and
my night vision improved.
Affidavit of Edward Carr_ _ 13. Finally, Jean Barnhart
testified:
At first i did not notice any dramatic effects on my
glaucoma, good or bad. After some practice smoking_ I
learned how to inhale properly. I discovered that when
my blurry vision cleared I had smoked enough
marijuana. As soon as this happened I would stop
smoking° My vision seemed much better after smoking.
Affidavit of Jean Barnhart_ _ 9.
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