Faxed From Peace in Medicine

I am writing in regards to the article "A Green Education" (April 21). I was honestly rather shocked that you ran such an unintelligent exposé in your otherwise respectable publication. I have watched mainstream media jump on the bandwagon of bashing medical cannabis with uninformed accusations, but I tend to expect more out of the Bohemian and North Bay culture in general. Your reporter lavished more words on the color of her doctor's hair and turtleneck than any insightful encounter with medical cannabis, and seems to believe that she can assert a person's health status based on whether or not they appear unwell.

Although I appear to be a strappingly healthy twenty-something, I have been battling HIV for almost a decade. I have run my course through three regimens of highly toxic anti-retroviral treatments, each with its own unique blend of debilitating side effects. Aside from the physical battle, I have also struggled with the depression and anxiety that comes from being diagnosed with a terminal illness. The only way I have been able to keep myself alive and sane through this experience is by using medical cannabis and visiting the gym five times a week. I have been prescribed Marinol, a drug that turned out to be as nauseating as the symptoms it promised to alleviate. Nothing has come close to offering the benefits with so little side effects as the medicinal edibles made from the whole cannabis plant with its full spectrum of cannabinoids, terpenoids and phenols.

This article served to do nothing more than threaten the safety of thousands of perfectly legitimate patients like myself. By releasing this rash of ignorance into the community, I now have to fight HIV alongside the darkening judgment of public opinion. Next time you intend to publish content on a medical topic under the guise of informing your readers, I suggest you prompt your writer to actually gather information. I could have gleaned as much real knowledge about medical cannabis from an MTV spring break dance-a-thon. My experience of visiting dispensaries has, for the most part, been highly informative, and I would not have been able to use this medicine as effectively for my needs were it not for the invaluable guidance I received from the staff at my local dispensary. When I first sat down to read this article, I was interested to learn what kind of "Green Education" you were offering, but in the end was only disappointed to find another mis-education to toss in the unending pile of journalistic crap the writer must have been taking her cues from.

John Nolen

Sebastopol

True Champions

We recently had the fortune to witness a true act of compassion at the grassroots level. Jesse Lustig, a young woman wanting to give back to her community, put together an incredible event to raise funds for HIV and hepatitis prevention ("Safe & Clean," March 24). Folks of all ages came out to the punk rock and art event to pledge their support. We raised over $1,255! Huge thank-yous are in order for the key organizers Jesse, Karin Adams, Giuseppe Cavaleri; the bands Fang, Verbal Abuse, Resilience and the Aces; the artists Ian Dalling, Ian Harper, Juliet LaMarianna, Sam Cole and Raymond Dawson; and everyone else who made it happen. I could not feel more pride for these individuals who donated their time, their talent and their support to help those in our community who are in such great need! You are true champions of the cause. Thank you.

Lynn Campanario

Santa Rosa

Dept. of Time Travel

The very cool, very old-looking image of a babaylan mandala which we labeled as "traditional" ("Babaylan Rising," April 14) was, in fact, created just last year in Austin, Texas, by Perla Daly. Alas, it's a testament to Daly's talents that even our keen eyes assumed it was thousands of years old.

The Ed

Light and Life Flowing Abundantly

Send a letter to the editor about this story.