The two men on the panel representing the task force are Senator Dave Burke and Senator Kenny Yuko.
Hello. My name is Jane
Hash and I am a lifelong resident of northeast Ohio. As an advocate for
holistic health I have had extensive training through the National Organization
of Certified Natural Health Professionals as well as the School of Natural
Healing in Utah. My area of specialty is the use of western medicinal plants. I’m
now preparing to further my studies at the Trinity School of Natural Health so
I can become a Naturopathic Doctor.
In my spare time, I’m a
co-founding Director of a nonprofit organization that serves career driven
adults with disabilities. In conjunction with another Ohio based organization, I
train others with disabilities how to advocate for themselves and for each
other, as a team. I’ve also been known to do some motivational speaking at the
Richland Correctional Institute.
My seemingly shameless
display of self-promotion comes with a purpose. I want you to understand that
the reason I am able to accomplish these goals and be a contributing member of
our community is because I use Cannabis 1 to 3 times a day…every day.
I was born with a
connective tissue disorder called, Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI). While this
condition affects the entire body, the most significant symptom is fragile
bones. I had my first few fractures before I was born. From birth until
puberty, I had at least one fracture at all times. After puberty, my fracture
frequency began to decline dramatically. By my late teens I had endured 200
broken bones.
Generally, I find
complaining to be both a waste of energy and a cheap way to gain attention or
pity. However, I also believe that I have held back way too much for way too
long.
Using the 0 to 10-pain
scale, I know nothing less than a 3, which is defined as “Pain is noticeable
and distracting, however, you can get used to it and adapt.” In the winter my
pain level does not go below a 7, which is defined as “Severe pain that
dominates your senses and significantly limits your ability to perform normal
daily activities or maintain social relationships. Interferes with
sleep.”
My body has never
responded favorably to pain medication. More than once opiates almost stopped
my heart. When I was an infant and had 26 fractures at the same time, the
medical community had zero non-life threatening solutions to offer. I spent my
first two weeks screaming in pain.
Out of desperation to
relieve my suffering my Mother put shots of brandy in my baby bottle. This at
least brought me much needed sleep. With alcoholism on both sides of my family,
that was not the optimal course of action to take but desperate parents will do
anything to relieve their child’s pain. By the time I reached adulthood I was
using alcohol to manage my physical pain caused by OI and the emotional pain
caused by my life circumstances at the time.
I was becoming an obese, violent,
black out drunk…with fragile bones. I will never know the details of how it
happened but I awoke from my last black out with fractures and torn ligaments.
I knew that I had to stop drinking or I was going to die. That is when I turned
to cannabis.
I have always known about
cannabis but I did not always have accurate information about it. I didn’t know
it can relieve pain and I thought it had to be smoked. Since the leading cause
of death among those with OI is respiratory failure, I don’t want to smoke
anything.
For the first two years of
my relationship with cannabis, I had to figure out how to use it and how to
dose it appropriately for my size, without any medical or professional support.
During this time I had some scary moments but I learned that 1) the side
effects of prescribed painkillers are more dangerous than an overdose of
cannabis 2) it is impossible to ingest a lethal dose of cannabis 3) no matter
where my pain ranks on the pain scale, a dose of cannabis brings it back down
to a 3 and allows me to live my life with minimal discomfort.
When Ohio has medical
cannabis available for patients like me, handing me a packet of seeds with
permission to plant them will not improve my quality of life. I don’t have the
physical ability to grow cannabis myself and I don’t have the space in my home
to dedicate to an indoor garden. What would enhance my quality of life is to be
able to go to a dispensary and purchase cannabis in an appropriate form and
dosage for my body.
Furthermore, according to
a report from the US Government Accountability Office earlier this month, most
states are struggling to provide coordinated home care services for dual eligibles
while adhering to recent US Department of Labor’s guidelines regarding what
they call “companion care workers.” The revenue from medical cannabis could
provide a solution to this problem by supplementing the wages of non-agency
home care nurses and aides. This will require some restructuring of how home
care services are currently being delivered but since the model isn’t working
anyway, we need to take action to ensure the safety of Ohio’s most vulnerable
citizens. Ohio is in a position to teach the rest of the country how to profit
financially by being compassionate enough to provide safe and legal medical
cannabis to patients who need it. Thank you.
