Open Letter to Sen. John McCain

Dear Senator John McCain:

In a recent Q&A session at a New Hampshire Town Hall meeting, you said that you would be interested in seeing documentation that sick and dying patients are being arrested for their use of medical marijuana. You went on to say that you have never heard of such a case and if you found out the federal government was in fact arresting dying patients that you would do everything in your power to stop it.

My name is Angel Raich. I have life-threatening wasting syndrome and I just underwent radiation treatment on my inoperable brain tumor for which marijuana is the only relief, and I am inviting you to meet with me in person so that I can tell you my story and the stories of countless other Americans who have suffered under the conflicting state and federal laws.

I brought my own case in front of the Supreme Court, asking for declaratory relief to prevent the government from arresting me for using the medicine that I so desperately need in order to stay healthy and to stay alive. The case, Gonzales v. Raich, was voted down six votes to three in June of 2005, because, unfortunately, Senator, this is indeed the type of society we live in.

Sick, disabled, and dying Americans who need to relieve the symptoms of their diseases should not be met with assault rifles at their front doors for the decisions they make with their doctors.

The sick are Americans. We vote, we are your constituents and you owe it to the American people to know the real facts.

I respect the fact that you honestly don’t know what’s going on regarding these arrests, however, someone running for president making such an uninformed statement only speaks to the need for more open discussions in Congress.

At this same Town Hall meeting you also stated that there are more effective medication options than marijuana. As far as other medication options are concerned, there are none for me. If I am denied medical cannabis I will die. Many of us cannot take other medications, though we may prefer it and wish otherwise. We don’t enjoy the fact that we rely on medication that is considered illegal but when faced with the option of going to jail or dying, it’s not a hard choice to make. I need to be here for my children and all those who love me, and whom I love. We patients have the right to life.

In the very near future, my own bill that I had written by a Washington D.C. law firm will come to the floor of the Congress. If you remain in the Senate you will be voting on this bill - the Angel McClary Raich Medical Necessity Act. I encourage you to meet with me to hear my view as the first medial cannabis patient to go through the US Supreme Court. This way I can provide you with the documentation you requested about the abuse of sick and dying patients who are forced to act illegally, and yes, then gratuitously punished.

Sincerely,

Angel Raich
angel@angeljustice.org