vol2 - Page 181

 ....... 43. Like every oncologist I know, _ have had patients who
 used marijuanas with great success8 to prevent or diminish the
 severity of nausea and vomiting they encounter following chemo-
 therapy. These patients obtain marijuana from non-medical
 sources. In the vast majority of cases_ physicians are fully
 aware of what the patient is doing. While physicians may be
 concerned by questions of legality and medical controls, they
 almost universally support such actions.
 44. In my experience, chemotherapy patients, who report
 smoking marijuana, vomit less and eat better than patients who
 do not smoke. By gaining control over severe nausea and
 vomiting, these patients also undergo a change of mood and have
 a better mental outlook than patients who are unable to gain _
 control over nausea and vomiting through the use of standard
 anti-emetic agents.
 45. In my experience, both as a oncologic researcher and
 as a practicing physician, marijuana has proved itself to be an
 extremely safe, highly effective anti-emetic agent.
 46° When compared with the other, highly toxic chemical
 substances routinely prescribed to cancer patients, marijuana
 is clearly "safe" for use under medical supervision.
 47. _n all of my experlence_ ! have only encountered one
 episode where marijuana produced a noticeable adverse effect.
 In this instance, a woman on her way to treatment =- and
 already extremely anxious over her chemotherapy -- smoked some
 marijuana, which she had illegally obtained, while on her way
 to the hospital. By the time this woman arrived at the