Former TCC student collaborates on marijuana study
        by Diana De Leon, Feature Editor

   Although marijuana is illegal, it is also grown and distributed by the government to a handful of people who need it for medical reasons.
   But people who use marijuana legally are always on the edge of their reality and the reality of society.
   “Marijuana has been given to sick and dying people for 25 years,” Christopher Largen, author of Prescription Pot and health care advocate, said.
   Largen, a former TCC student, became an advocate of medical marijuana after witnessing the effect it had on a former patient.
   Working as a caregiver, Largen saw what daily struggles to live are like for those in pain with every breath they take.
   “He was in constant pain and had spasms, but his health improved after smoking cannabis,” Largen said about his former patient.
   Marijuana was known by its scientific name, cannabis, up until the 1930s when popular culture changed it because of its connection to Mexico.
   Already an advocate for health care, Largen saw a medicine that worked in two ways; it relieved pain and improved quality of life.
   “It has medical value, to improve quality of life or extend life,” he said.
   George McMahon suffers from a rare genetic condition; his is a journey through the health care system that proved damaging to his health and to the quality of the life he had left.
   McMahon described his life before marijuana as living, but just barely. He underwent numerous surgeries intended to help his condition.
   In reality the surgeries only hurt him more, and all the prescription medication he was taking also impaired his quality of life rather than helped, as was intended.
   “I was passed out on the sofa, barely able to move,” he said. “The pain, nausea and spasms were caused by the surgeries and prescription drugs that were given to me.”
   Uncle Sam sends McMahon 300 pre-rolled cigarettes per month, and although he is legally allowed to use them, he is not legally protected from the law.
   If McMahon is seen with a joint, he will be arrested just like anyone else.
   As one of the few people in the country who receives marijuana from the government, McMahon had been approached by various writers throughout the years for his story.
   “They all had agendas,” he said. “They had an opinion and they wanted to get it out.”
   Published in various newspapers and magazines, Largen had been writing on health care issues for years and he told McMahon, “we will use your words and I will use my skill as a writer.”
   Prescription Pot chronicles the struggle of George McMahon, one of the few people to receive marijuana from the government.
   Written by McMahon and Largen, the book is the result of a collaboration that started for both men in the health care arena.
   The men worked on the book for more than a year and sent the manuscript to five different publishing houses.
    All but one was interested in publishing the book, and public reaction has been positive with numerous articles on the book published around the world.
    “It is not a happy pot book,” Largen said. “People have to separate the legal marijuana issue from Cheech and Chong.”
   Both men know that marijuana is abused and that this is the image that society has of the drug.
    “Many prescription drugs are used in an unhealthy way,” he said. “We must stop taking a one-size-fits-all approach.”
    A simple headache medicine that works for one person may not work for another, and this is a key factor in the fight to legalize marijuana, Largen said.
    According to a Time/CNN Poll, 80 percent of Americans support the legal use of marijuana for medical purposes.
    McMahon and Largen have seen a difference in attitude from people in all walks of life over the course of their struggle.
   “Oh, hell yes, I have seen change,” McMahon said.
   “I have seen policemen turn people loose, and doctors are telling patients about marijuana,” he added.
   Largen is surprised at how many law enforcement officers give support to legalization.
   “When I was going to TCC, I never thought I would end up doing this,” he said.
   Largen now makes a living as a writer and spends his spare time traveling the country with McMahon speaking on medical marijuana.
   Although threatened with arrest everywhere he goes, McMahon has traveled in almost all 50 states.
   Nine states have a medical marijuana law, but patients are not protected from arrest.
   “Advocating for a change in the law is a basic right,” Largen said. “Yes, I have seen a change in society’s view.”
   People now go to another country to get medicine that is not available in this country.
   People abuse prescription drugs and get treated, but the abuse of marijuana has more of a social impact than prescription drug abuse, Largen said.
   Many doctors find marijuana a useful medicine as treatment for AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, pain and other ailments, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.
   Before marijuana, McMahon explained that he could not sleep, eat or do normal everyday things because of the pain, nausea and spasms.
   After smoking marijuana, McMahon said that he could do all of the normal things that people take for granted, like eating and sleeping.
    The book is a step toward helping people gain a better understanding of the issue, Largen said.
    Prescription Pot lists various professional organizations that support the legalization of marijuana for medical use.
   “I still see the hate; it is still there, but I see change, too,” McMahon said.
   The book is available in bookstores.