Testimonial of Joe Scarborough, Wilmington
In 1992, I was diagnosed with the AIDS virus. At the time, treatment options were few, so I was told that I had roughly 5 years left to live. Over the next few years, as the disease ravaged my body, I began to succumb to the effects of a rapidly diminishing immune system. I lost weight, battling nausea and loss of appetite, and suffered endless anxiety over my inevitable demise, causing stress and sleeplessness. I could no longer work and my illness had made my life unbearable. I turned to my peers for the answers that my healthcare providers could not give me. I talked to long-term survivors who had researched every method available on how to manage living with HIV/AIDS. Almost unanimously it was suggested that I try using marijuana at mealtimes and bedtimes. The results were amazing. I began to stabilize my weight and get the rest I needed.
The AIDS medications that became available in 1996 were nothing short of a miracle. Unfortunately the side effects and the scheduling made adherence nearly impossible. Many people I knew refused to even begin treatment because strict adherence was mandatory. I began the new medications, and used my history with medical marijuana to combat the side effects and to regulate my eating habits to coincide with my pharmaceutical scheduling. My response to treatment and my adherence was outstanding, making me a model for the success of the new medications. It is my belief that had it not been for my use of medical marijuana as a companion to my pharmaceutical treatment, I may not have been able to maintain such a toxic and difficult regimen. I discussed my use of marijuana and my reasoning behind it with my heath care team, and I found them to be receptive to my conclusions. When medical marijuana legislation passed in Washington state, where I was living, my doctor supported me by signing the paperwork that would allow me to continue my health care successfully without fear of arrest or imprisonment.
A few years after returning to Delaware, I found myself again facing a life-threatening illness. I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a highly aggressive form of cancer, and had a slim chance of survival. I spent the better part of 6 months in the hospital undergoing chemotherapy to remove the 9-inch tumor on my spinal cord that left me no longer able to use my right foot. By the time I finished treatment I weighed only 115 pounds at 6’4”, had no immune system, and the AIDS virus had taken over. With nothing left to lose, I once again relied on marijuana to assist me in my recovery.
Having spent the last 17 years managing chronic and life-threatening illnesses, being an active part of my healthcare team on a monthly basis, and maintaining near-perfect medication adherence, I have learned a thing or two about what works and what doesn’t: marijuana used for medical purposes works. Not only does it address a myriad of symptoms and side effects caused by illnesses and medications, but it has few, if any, of its own. While watching primetime television shows you will see advertisements for medications with almost endless lists of very dangerous side effect including death, only to provide relief for nothing more than a runny nose. Meanwhile, countless chronic and terminally ill people risk their lives to use a relatively harmless herb that eases their symptoms and whose most negative property is the criminality surrounding it. As the American Academy of HIV Medicine, the American Nurses Association, and many other prestigious organizations recognize: Marijuana is medicine. It is important that we recognize marijuana for its medical benefit, and not be distracted by the stigma that society gives it regarding abuse and recreational use. Evidence has shown that marijuana is safe and effective for many health issues; don’t punish the suffering out of fear and disinformation.
