Musician Melissa Etheridge Asks N.H. Lawmakers to Pass Medical Marijuana Bill
In a letter addressed to New Hampshire state officials today, musician, songwriter and cancer survivor Melissa Etheridge asked state lawmakers to vote to override Gov. Lynch’s veto of H.B. 648, in order to protect from criminal prosecution seriously ill patients who ease their symptoms through marijuana.
A breast cancer survivor, Etheridge writes in her letter that marijuana helped alleviate the pain and nausea that she experienced as a result of chemotherapy:
“All of my doctors said the same thing, from oncologists to surgeons, every one of them told me that marijuana was a very good and effective way to deal with the side effects of chemotherapy. They were right. It worked within minutes, relieving the pain and nausea. All of a sudden I could get out of bed. I could go see my child. I could eat. It was amazing. I was able to use marijuana in a butter spread and to vaporize it, because I didn’t want to smoke. This wasn’t about getting high. And I didn’t get high. It just let me be normal, and it still does.”
“Luckily, I live in a state where medical marijuana is legal, and decisions about whether or not to use it are left to doctors and patients. My doctors weren’t afraid to say honestly what they all knew – that marijuana was the best treatment option to deal with the side effects of my chemotherapy. Why shouldn’t people who have serious illnesses in New Hampshire have the same right?”
Fellow breast cancer survivor and Concord resident Barbara Filleul will read the letter at a Tuesday Oct. 27 press conference at 10 a.m. at the Legislative Office Building lobby in Concord.
“The compelling personal story of Melissa Etheridge is just one example of a seriously ill patient who found marijuana to help her condition when other painkillers would not,” said Matt Simon, executive director of the New Hampshire Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy. “By taking the brave step of sharing her story today, she is doing what she can to ensure that seriously ill patients in New Hampshire have access to similar relief without the fear of criminal prosecution.”
Ms. Etheridge has a limited availability for media interviews. To arrange an interview, call Matt Simon at 603-391-7450.
The entire text of the letter is as follows:
“As a cancer survivor, I am writing about a critically important decision that you and your colleagues will soon need to make: On October 28, you will decide whether seriously ill patients in New Hampshire will be granted the same freedom my doctors and I were allowed when I battled breast cancer. That’s why I am asking you to vote to override Gov. Lynch’s veto of HB 648 – so New Hampshire can join the other 13 states that no longer make patients criminals for using medical marijuana.
If you have never experienced chemotherapy, words can’t do it justice. You feel like your whole body is dying, all of your cells are dying. Your appetite is gone and you are nauseous. Your hair is falling out, and your skin – it's like death. The only thing I could do is lay there. Light hurt, sound hurt, I couldn't read anything. It even hurt to talk, I just laid there. All of my doctors said the same thing, from oncologists to surgeons, every one of them told me that marijuana was a very good and effective way to deal with the side effects of chemotherapy. They were right. It worked within minutes, relieving the pain and nausea. All of a sudden I could get out of bed. I could go see my child. I could eat. It was amazing. I was able to use marijuana in a butter spread and to vaporize it, because I didn’t want to smoke. This wasn’t about getting high. And I didn’t get high. It just let me be normal, and it still does. I have long-term damage to my gastrointestinal system, leaving me with a complete intolerance to acid of any kind, marijuana settles my stomach instantly.
Luckily, I live in a state where medical marijuana is legal, and decisions about whether or not to use it are left to doctors and patients. My doctors weren’t afraid to say honestly what they all knew – that marijuana was the best treatment option to deal with the side effects of my chemotherapy. Why shouldn’t people who have serious illnesses in New Hampshire have the same right? Why should they be judged for trying not to waste away? Every painkiller can be abused. But we don’t stop people from using the medicine that works best for them, with the least side effects, just because someone else might misuse it. We have laws and rules to prevent that – just like HB 648 does for medical marijuana. One of the things I saw first-hand, and my doctors agreed, is that marijuana is an extremely safe medicine. Patients are not going to become addicted to marijuana like they do to Vicodin, OxyContin, or other prescription painkillers, and no one has ever died from a marijuana overdose.
The people of New Hampshire, like the people in my state of California, overwhelmingly support letting patients use this medicine. A 2008 Mason-Dixon poll found that 71% of New Hampshire voters support allowing the seriously ill to use medical marijuana with their doctors’ approval. But because New Hampshire doesn’t have an initiative process, the fate of patients is in your hands. On October 28, I hope that you’ll vote to override the governor’s veto of HB 648. Everyone battling cancer should be able to get the relief I did, and they shouldn’t have to risk jail to do it.
Sincerely,
Melissa Etheridge”
