Please Show Courage

and Compassion PART 2 IN A SERIES

M y name is Stan Schmidt. The

lady in the picture is my
deceased wife Jane. We were mar-
ried for 51 1/2 years. In honor of my
Jane, I ran last weeks story about
cancer and marijuana. She fought
cancer bravely and for a long time.

U nfortunately cancer almost

always wins. NOT ALWAYS,
BUT FAR TOO OFTEN. This week
when I was in one of the local stores,
the clerk recognized me from the
shopper. She said she was a support-
er for Medical Marijuana and would
be sure to vote on November 2nd.
She then added this remark. “Ya
know, there isn’t one person in this
entire state who hasn’t been affect-
ed by cancer. If it wasn’t your
grandma or grandpa, it’s mom or
dad, an aunt or uncle, brother or
sister, best friend or next door
neighbor.” I had not thought about
it in those terms but that’s absolute-
ly correct. The Cancer Walk at Farley
Park clearly demonstrates that fact.
That means that we all do have a
vested interest in Medical
Marijuana.

A nother question came up.

“DOES MARIJUANA CURE
CANCER?” The answer is NO. But
what it does is alleviate or minimize
the extremely vicious side affects of
chemotherapy. I said last week that
all the cancer treatments’ medicines
given to slow cancer were poison.
Was I stretching or bending a fact, or
am I one of those kooks that think all
medicine is bad and that we can cure
cancer and other serious illness’s by
drinking carrot juice and other natu-
ral concoctions? To be very sure the
answer to that is NO. The medicines
we have that are used to treat cancer
are all very high tech and do exactly
what they are supposed to do. That
is, kill a lot of the cancer cells and
slow it down. Chemo does that quite
well, it’s a poison. Cancer uses a lot
of nutrients from your body because
it grows so fast. The cancer con-
sumes more of the poison than a lot
of your other body parts.
Unfortunately the Chemo has no
way to know what are good body
cells and what are bad body cells so
it kills them all. And that’s the best
medicine we have in the year 2010.
T his strong poison then creates
violent side effects for the patient
with one of them being the inability
to eat or drink and keep it in the
Jane and Stan Schmidt
stomach. When your body needs
strength the most to fight the cancer
it becomes a real big problem that
the patient doesn’t want to eat or
can’t keep the food down. Easy to
see that it’s a real serious problem.
S o then what does the marijuana
do? It very quickly stops the vio-
lent vomiting, and then creates an
appetite for both food and liquid.
Exactly what the patient needs to
fight the cancer. This is a well known
fact in the medical field and you
only have too check with a doctor of
Oncology (Cancer) or nurse that
works in or near that department to
confirm this. As of this date, 14 states
have already made medical marijua-
na legal with a doctors recommen-
dation. A dozen or so other states are
looking at doing the same.
I n South Dakota it will be on the
ballet and I only ask that you do
vote and support Referendum 13 to
A s a side note I have paid for
these articles in honor of my
wife. I have not asked for donations
make Medical Marijuana legal in but we did receive a number of calls
South Dakota. from people wondering where they
T he picture above is of my wife
less than 3 weeks before she
passed away. She was still able to
could send a donation. I have my
address below and if you send
money to me it will be wisely spent
travel and the picture was taken in for additional ads, or of course just
the Greek Isles. I would ask that you support the Milbank Cancer Walk or
specifically look at the sparkle in her the American Cancer Society. Mostly
eyes. She’s alive and loving it. Now I would request that you support me
remember your parent or friend who with your vote on November 2nd.
was undergoing cancer treatment
and remember what their eyes
looked like. Dead and dull. Body I f you would consider adding
your name to the growing list of
supporters please contact me
mostly gone, spirit and the will to
by Wednesday, Oct. 27. We will
live gone. My wife looked and lived
like she did because of medical mar-
ijuana.
publish the list in the November
1st edition of The Valley Shopper.
P LEASE SHOW
COURAGE AND COMPAS-
SOME

YES Thank You,

SION ON NOVEMBER 2 AND

Vote 13
VOTE YES ON REFERENDUM 13.

Stan Schmidt
Tuesday, November 2 47924 Rocky Ledge Road, Corona, SD 57227

for Legal Medical Marijuana in South Dakota Prepared and paid for by Stan Schmidt, Big Stone Lake, SD
PART 2 IN A SERIES
South D a k o t a
OT E
V Courage and CompasY E S
sion
1 3
for
The Safety Profile of
Medical Cannabis:
C annabinoids have a remarkable safety record, par-
ticularly when compared to other therapeutically
active substances. Most significantly, the consump-
tion of marijuana - regardless of quantity or potency
-- cannot induce a fatal overdose. According to a 1995
review prepared for the World Health Organization,
“There are no recorded cases of overdose fatalities
attributed to cannabis, and the estimated lethal dose
for humans extrapolated from animal studies is so
high that it cannot be achieved by...users.”
I n 2008, investigators at McGill University Health
Centre and McGill University in Montreal and the
University of British Columbia in Vancouver reviewed
23 clinical investigations of medicinal cannabinoid
drugs (typically oral THC or liquid cannabis extracts)
and eight observational studies conducted between
1966 and 2007. Investigators “did not find a higher
incidence rate of serious adverse
events associated with medical
cannabinoid use” compared to
non-using controls over these
three decades.
T hat said, cannabis should not
necessarily be viewed as a
‘harmless’ substance. Its active
constituents may produce a vari-
ety of physiological and euphoric
effects. As a result, there may be
some populations that are suscep-
tible to increased risks from the
use of cannabis, such as adoles-
cents, pregnant or nursing moth-
ers, and patients who have a fam-
ily history of mental illness.
A s states continue to approve
legislation enabling the
physician-supervised use of
medicinal marijuana, more
patients with varying disease
types are exploring the use of the
therapeutic cannabis. Many of
these patients and their physicians
are now discussing this issue for
Jane (Frank) Schmidt was the wife of Stan Schmidt, Big Stone Lake
the first time, and are seeking
guidance on whether the thera-
resident. She passed away from colon cancer in 2008. For 3 1/ 2 years she was
a constant user of Marijuana for medical purposes. Jane is pictured here with
peutic use of cannabis may or
her granddaughter and great-grandchildren.
may not be advisable.
Medical Marijuana has been
Effective in 19 Clinical Applications:
*Alzheimer’s disease
*Amyotrphic lateral sclerosis
*Chronic Pain
*Diabetes mellitus
*Dystonia
*Fibromyalgia
*GI disorders
*Gliomas
*Hepatitis C
*HIV
*Hypertension
*Incontinence
*Methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus (MRSA)
*Multiple Sclerosis
*Osteoporosis
*Pruritis
*Rheumatoid Arthritis
*Sleep Apnea
*Tourette’s Syndrome
Vote YES 13
Vaporization Instead of Smoking
W hen discussing the therapeutic use of cannabis
and cannabinoids, opponents inevitably
respond that patients should not smoke their medi-
cine. PATIENTS NO LONGER HAVE TO. Medicinal
cannabis patients who desire the rapid onset of action
associated with inhalation, but who are concerned
about the potential harms of noxious smoke can dra-
matically cut down on their intake of carcinogenic
compounds by engaging in vaporization rather than
smoking. Cannabis vaporization limits respiratory
toxins by heating cannabis to a temperature where
cannabinoid vapors form, but below the point of com-
bustion where noxious smoke and associated toxins
(e.g. carcinogenic hydrocarbons) are produced. This
eliminates the inhalation of any particulate matter and
removes the health hazards of smoking. In clinical tri-
als, vaporization has ben shown to safely and effec-
tively deliver pharmacologically active, aerosolized
cannabinoids deeply into the lungs, where the rich
vascular bed will rapidly deliver them to tissues
throughout the body.
Co urtesy: NORML Fo und atio n, Washingto n, DC
Marijuana’s Medical Value
S tudies show that many patients suffering with
HIV/AIDS, glaucoma, cancer and chemotherapy,
multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and other debilitating ill-
nesses find that marijuana provides relief from their
symptoms.
A vailable prescription drugs often come with far
more serious side effects than marijuana, and
many patients who find relief from marijuana sim-
ply do not respond to prescription medications.
Smoking or vaporizing marijuana are much more
effective delivery methods than pills for many
patients: The drug works instantly, the dosage may be
controlled by the patient, and there is no problem
"keeping it down" since it cannot be vomited back up.
Cocaine, morphine, and methamphetamine may all be
legally administered to patients so why not marijuana,
which has a far lower rate of dependency and on
which no one has ever overdosed?
for Legal Medical
Marijuana in South Dakota
Tuesday,
Nov. 2nd
19 Clinical Applications for
Medical Marijuana:
Chronic Pain
Image courtesy of
MRSA 3DScience.com
State Laws
U nder state law, 14 states currently provide legal
protection for seriously ill patients whose doctors
recommend the medical use of marijuana: Alaska,
California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan,
Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, New Jersey, Oregon,
Rhode Island, Washington, and Vermont. Ten of those
states issue ID cards to patients who provide their doc-
tors' recommendations to a state or county agency.
Michigan began issuing ID cards by April 2009.All
state medical marijuana programs are working well
and protecting patients. Since 1996, when the first
effective medical marijuana law passed, data have
shown that concerns about these laws increasing
youth marijuana use are unfounded: No state with a
medical marijuana law has experienced a statistically
significant increase in youth marijuana use since the
laws enactment. In fact, all states have reported over-
all decreases exceeding 50% in some age groups.
Federal Laws
F ederal law does not prevent states from removing
state criminal penalties for the medical use of mar-
ijuana. Nothing in the U.S. Constitution or federal law
prohibits states from enacting penalties that differ
from federal law.
A n October 2005 national Gallup poll found that
78% of Americans favor "making marijuana legal-
ly available for doctors to prescribe in order to reduce
pain and suffering.
Support from the Medical Community
• American College of Physicians
• Institute of Medicine
• American Public Health Association
• American Nurses Association
• American Academy of HIV Medicine
• Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
• Lymphoma Foundation of America
• American Medical Student Association
• the state medical societies of New York,
Rhode Island, and California
• Scientific American
(sdcompassion.org)
Thank You,
Stan Schmidt
47924 Rocky Ledge Road, Corona, SD 57227
Prepared and paid for by
Stan Schmidt, Big Stone Lake, SD