Anthony Rodriguez

Patient:

Anthony Rodriguez

Age:

29

Condition/Illness:

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Using medical cannabis since:

2009

WHY DID YOU START USING MEDICAL MARIJUANA? 

I was diagnosed with cancer—leukemia. I had no appetite, I couldn’t eat. The pain was intense. Basically, [medical cannabis] helped me with my disease . . . when I started using [cannabis] three years ago. To this day, since I’ve been using, I haven’t had any blood transfusions.

DID YOU TRY OTHER METHODS OR TREATMENTS BEFORE MARIJUANA? 

I was on a lot of medication, lots of chemotherapy. I’ve been through chemo three times—two times it didn’t work; the third time was the charm. I was in a hospital for three years and three months. That was before I started using medical cannabis. I was on a lot of painkillers, lots of narcotics, lots of anxiety medication, lots of cancer medication. It’s been really hard.

WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE OR PROBLEM FACING MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENTS?
I was gonna get evicted out of my apartment . . . I told my neighbors that I was a medical marijuana patient—I don’t even grow it. I’m not selling, not re-distributing.

WHAT DO YOU SAY TO FOLKS WHO ARE SKEPTICAL ABOUT MARIJUANA AS MEDICINE?

My grandparents were really skeptical about it—really, really skeptical about it. Now, they’re pretty much all for it. When something happens to someone you love or someone you really care about, and something comes in that benefits the conditions of that disease that the person is dealing with or suffering from, I believe their mind might change to the positive about it. It helps me 150 percent . . . My parents are all for it.

Are you an MMJ patient from Southern California with a compelling story to tell? If so, we want to hear you. Email your name, contact information and details about your experiences with medical cannabis to courage@ireadculture.com.