Jack has battled chronic illness for over half his life. He was in his 40’s when he had his first lump removed from under his left eye. Basal Cell carcinoma.
For the next ten years, he was having 4 to 6 lesions excised and cauterized, and another ten to twelve spots frozen with liquid nitrogen — every three months. That’s a lot of surgeries, a lot of pain and a lot of scars.
Today, Jack’s battle scars cover most of his body. Over 300 excisions, perhaps thousands more from freezing with liquid nitrogen. His body a is living legacy of a decade of suffering.
He first considered cannabis therapy for his nephew who was dying of cancer. As he researched it, he realized that cannabis oil might work for him as well.
Jack was looking into a FECO (full extract cannabis oil) program like that which uses Rick Simpson Oil when he was introduced to a high cbd program from a local Denver dispensary. Within 2 months of starting this therapy, his skin began clearing up considerably. After 3 months, his skin had cleared up almost completely.
Upon his next visit to his dermatologist, the doctor could not find anything to excise or burn. In fact the doc made him strip down to his boxers looking for lesions. He was surprised not to find any.
During the next 8 months, Jack tried to stay on the program as best he could, but there were problems with supply. This on top of the fact that his retirement income had been cut by a third meant very little money left over for medical expenses beyond that which insurance can pay. Though he was getting his cannabis medication at a discount as a sponsored patient, it was still hundreds of dollars beyond his monthly budget.
After eight months without a lesion excised, Jack was forced to go off the program and back under the knife.
Jack continued to smoke cannabis and even tried some salves, but since he was no longer doing the complete CBD program, the skin cancer came back. At the time of this interview, fresh scars were still healing on his body. Further, there were a number of suspicious red spots that were more than likely new skin cancers.
Jack was also having other problems. Seems his “budtender” had urged him to cut back on his narcotics. That sounds like a great idea except for the fact that the opiates were helping to keep his blood pressure down. When he started cutting back on his cannabis therapy, his blood pressure began to climb again, effecting his already compromised kidneys.
Cannabis is NOT legal in Colorado. It’s regulated. There’s a huge difference. Patients are still arrested, go to jail and lose their property.
Cannabis treatments are not cheap either. The fact is, here in this state (the most legal in the country), most who need it don’t have access…because they can’t afford it. Patients are coming here from all over the country only to find out, like Jack, that the high cost of these amazing treatments is not sustainable.
There is only one answer. Cannabis MUST be truly legal.
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