Monday, September 13, 2010

my letter to: the Christian Community


Dear sisters & brothers in Christ †   
 
My purpose in writing to you is to make known that cannabis is a viable source of medicine that should not be condemned.  If a sick person chooses to use it with their Doctor’s permission, it is their (human) right. However, marijuana is ILLEGAL almost everywhere in the world.

The word needs to go out within the Christian community: that marijuana was created by God to be used medicinally... not to be banished from society and swept under the rug.  (i.e. named "illegal")  As a Christian we are to take stand for what is right and stand against injustice.   Jesus did miracles on the Sabbath... because it was the right thing to do.  I believe as Christians we need to support the use of cannabis.  It is needlessly illegal across the World.  

As Christians, we might not all agree with the recreational use of cannabis but we can all show our full support of the use of medicinal cannabis.  

As Christians, we need to unite with other Christians who care for the cause of the sick and needy.




My name is Priscilla Lavell. I am a born-again Christian.  I was raised in an Evangelical Baptist Home in the province of Quebec, Canada.  I love the Lord. I fear God and read His Word.  In the summer of 1993 (@ sweet 16) I developed Systemic Juvenile Arthritis. My treatment has consisted of Prednisone, Imuran, Naproxen, Diclofenac, Losec, Docusate, Pred-forte, Ferrous Gluconate, Oxycocet, Demerol, Alendronate, Asacol, Calcium and Vitamin D. 

Half of theses are potent and have serious side effects. 


I was introduced to the cannabis plant in 1999 to help reduce my pain. I started using the plant daily and saw a big improvement on my mobility; I was able to do more in a day. I started to go for a daily walk with my dog, cook and clean, read my Bible. I also became more creative & less depressed about my current living situation. My quality of life improved!


In 2003, I was sick in bed due to arthritis pain. On my bed of sickness, God gave me the creativity to design the BeadWired Cross and the BeadWired Star-of-David

Please visit
http://www.myspace.com/beadwired

to learn my simple instruction:
"make-a-crossgive-a-cross"



I've had a Health Canada “license to possess dried marihuana” since 2002. Every time my yearly application is approved, I thank God for Canada and the freedom to use cannabis to treat my pain. And every time I use Cannabis, I’m thankful :) However, it makes me sad that cannabis is not legal and easily available to the sick. There are still too many people suffering the cost of prohibition. There are still too many people in jail for cannabis related crime.

The Government of Canada has never approved a bill in Parliament regarding the use of cannabis as a medical treatment. In 2001, a group of sick Canadians went to court against Health Canada and won their court case. The Supreme Court of Canada demanded the Government of Canada put in place a program that would protect the sick Canadians from their human rights to use cannabis under Doctor’s supervision.

10 years later, Health Canada hasn’t yet approved of cannabis as a safe medicine. They (Health Canada) said: “more research needs to be conclusive on the effectiveness & potential hazards of cannabis as a medicine.” 

So, why did my Government cancel all research funding in 2006? In my opinion, they clearly have no mercy on the sick Canadians who choose to use the cannabis plant to ease their symptoms of serious critical & chronic diseases. To this day, some 5000 Canadians have the legal right to use cannabis to help their ailments...  such as Cancer, AIDS, MS, Epilepsy, Arthritis, Depression... and the list goes on! Health Canada's MMAD (Medical Marihuana Access Division) program is flawed. Cannabis needs to be legislated into becoming legal... just like alcohol, tobacco and gambling. Health Canada's program is under-funded, it takes over a month to get a call-back to answer my question. and I'm still waiting! Health Canada clearly wants the program to deteriorate.

I read an article on www.religionnews.com re: the Presbyterian Church (USA) stating their full support of the use of medical cannabis as an alternative treatment. “The Presbyterian Church (USA) joins the United Methodist Church, Episcopal Church, United Church of Christ, Union for Reform Judaism, Progressive National Baptist Convention, and the Unitarian Universalist Association in support of medical cannabis.” "Medical marijuana is an issue of mercy”, said Rev. Lynn Bledsoe, a Presbyterian minister from Alabama who works as a hospice chaplain. "As people of faith, we are called to stand up for humans who are suffering needlessly. It’s outrageous that seriously ill patients are arrested for (making an earnest attempt at healing) using medical marijuana with their doctor's approval. It is the job of religious denominations to give voice to those who cannot speak up for themselves. We pray that Congress will have the compassion to stop this war on patients.”

I was so excited to hear about such a breakthrough. The Christian Community finally understood the “human rights” behind the medical cannabis issue. It came to mind, the Church also need to take a public stand. The Church needs to show compassion for the sick that choose to use cannabis medically due to an illness. I am writing to the Church of North America in hope to make my message clear. God is Merciful and God created the cannabis plant. I am pleading with you to take a stand with the sick and needy people. We need not condemn others who (choose to) use cannabis to ease their sufferings. Instead we need to stand by the sick and show our full support of cannabis as a medicine.  The government of Canada and America needs to do the same.

Please take a stand for the sick and go public.I would appreciate a response with your opinion. My goal is to teach Christians about the effectiveness of cannabis as a treatment in managing chronic pain. There is still too much condemnation of the sick and needy that use cannabis as a medicine, especially in our Church. There are (too many) people in prison for using, growing & selling marijuana. If there's a demand for God's miraculous plant, then there should be a legal supply. no one should go to jail for using, growing & selling cannabis. this is a great injustice to mankind!


so why is cannabis still illegal? 
and why did God create cannabis,
if it wasn't for us to use wisely?





This Bible verse has inspired me to 
wake-up and take a stand to show compassion 


<<< Proverbs 31:6-9 >>>
“Give strong drink to him who is perishing,
And wine to those who are bitter of heart.
Let him drink and forget his poverty,
And remember his misery no more.
Open your mouth for the speechless,
In the cause of all who are appointed to die.
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
Plead the cause of the poor and needy.”




††††††††††††††††††††††††††
the 1st part of Proverbs 31
†††††††††††††††††††††††††

 1) The sayings of King Lemuel—
an oracle
[a] his mother taught him:

 2) "O my son, O son of my womb,
       O son of my vows, [b]

 3) do not spend your strength on women,
your vigor on those who ruin kings.

 4) "It is not for kings, O Lemuel—
       not for kings to drink wine,
       not for rulers to crave beer,

 5) lest they drink and forget
what the law decrees,
and deprive  all the oppressed
of their rights. "







†††

REPEAL
Cannabis
PROHIBITION



join my Facebook page

Worldwide Christians for Cannabis
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Worldwide-Christians-for-Cannabis/158557524206981







May God help us tell the truth about Cannabis.   


Sincerely, 
Priscilla Lavell †



CC: 35 Christian Denominations and Organizations in Canada. and the Pope :)