vol2 - Page 172

 9. During this same period, ! became interested in
 marijuana_s therapeutic value in reducing or eliminating the
 severe nausea and vomiting which often accompanies certain
 types of anti-cancer therapies, particularly chemotherapies
 based on the use of highly toxic drugs_
 10. Onco!ogy, the treatment of cancer through the use o_
 highly toxic chemicals, is a relatively new branch of medi-
 cine. The principle behind chemotherapy, simply stated, is
 that a person is larger than his cancer. If you start killing
 body cells by injecting the patient with lethal chemical
 agents, you hope to kill the cancer befoze the patient.
 Ii. Needless to says chemothe:apy is a brutal type of
 medical assault on the body. Nearly all of the chemicals
 involved in cancer chemotherapy treatments are extremely toxic
 and must be handled with great care and precision. However,
 even when properly administered, these drugs have profoundly
 ....... adverse effects.
 12o There are a large number of chemetherapeutic agents
 currently used in the treatment of cancer. Among the most
 widely used agents to combat the more common, and deadly forms
 of cancers are Cisplatin_ Nitrogen Mustard, Cytoxin end
 Adriamycian. Even a cursory examination of the adverse effects
 of these drugs suggests just how powerfu!, and dangerous_ these
 chemicals are:
 Cisplatin, developed in the mid-1970's, is
 one of the most powerful chemotherapeutic
 a@ents used on human beings. The drug may
 cause deafness. Use of this drug may also
 lead to serious, even llfe-threatening renal