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 Before marijuana, chemotherapy devastated our son. He could
 not bear to eat and anything he managed to swallow was vomited
 back up in a matter of minutes. Marijuana clearly helped to
 control Josh's nausea and vomiting. But it also stimulated his
 appetite. Now he was the first to ask when would dinner be
 ready_
 50. AS a mothers nothing seems more important to me
 than a strong appetite. Cancer is a debilitating disease that
 saps the body's strength. Chemotherapy only compounds this
 problem by depriving patients of the desire to eat. Together
 these factors can quickly conspire to end a lifeo We never
 forgot that we had almost lost Josh when his weight drastically
 declined.
 5i. Butt marijuana appears to make Josh -- and other
 cancer patients -- extremely hungry° The return of this desire
 to eat, which vanishes on the first day of chemotherapy, is
 like an affirmation that the person inside that ravaged body
 still very much wants to live. With eating comes hope.
 52° Eating together helps to bind families
 together. When Josh regained his ability to eats he rejoined
 our family° He could come to dinner without vomiting. We
 could talk and he could eats As a mother it is impossible for
 me to put into words how wonderful it is to watch your son eat
 a mouthful of mashed potatoes°
 53_ In early 1981_ shortly after we began using
 marijuana and discovered how helpful it could bee we asked
 Joshes doctor about a Washington state law which authorized