Jun 26, 2008
Whenever people find out that I work for the Marijuana Policy Project the first question I'm asked is...well, forget the first question, it's usually pretty inane. The second question I'm generally asked is, "How did you get into that?" or "Why'd you decide to work there?"
I have a few reasons. One of them is social justice. Rarely do I find myself getting fired up so much as when I talk about the outrages suffered by people of color in the name of the War on Drugs. Though most of us will never experience it, systematic racism is alive and well throughout America.
But, there is another reason--one that's only gotten my attention in the last year or so. Basically, it boils down to the lack of compassion and understanding for medical marijuana patients. The recent case of Tim Garon, a Seattle patient who was denied a liver transplant for having used doctor-recommended medical marijuana is just one example of a number of similar situations. Brilliant, now we're turning patients back into victims.
Check out the news clip from his story below, but be advised, it can be hard to watch: