The arguments concerning whether or not cannabis should be legalized or decriminalized have been well rehearsed. Therefore, I will not belabor that point too much. I will, instead, present my personal story on cannabis.
For a long time, I had suffered from ulcerative colitis. For those who do not know about it is an is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It affects the gastrointestinal tract. Ulcerative colitis occurs when the lining of the large intestine (also called the colon), rectum, or both, becomes inflamed. This inflammation produces tiny sores called ulcers on the lining of your colon. Below is more information on the condition:
http://www.healthline.com/health/ulcerative-colitis#Overview1
My disease got so bad that I was having up to fifteen or more bowel movements daily. I will spare you the gory details and just say that I lost almost twenty pounds in two weeks. I was taking fifteen pills per day; five pills in the morning, five pills in the afternoon and five pills in the evening. I was literally living in hell. This happened a few months ago, briefly after moving to Japan. I wrote extensively about being ill in a preceding post.
Drugs are illegal here (that is with the exception of liquor and nicotine). There is also no distinction between and/or among illegal substances; so possession of cannabis carries the same sentence as cocaine or other hard drugs. To anent that, Japanese jails are horrible. Furthermore, cannabis is very difficult to get here, and even if I could get it, I would not take the chance. In fact, I did not take the chance when I was getting ill. Due to this, my condition deteriorated. That was in February of this year. I spent over two weeks in the hospital, when I went to the doctor—a stomach disease specialist—he told me that he was not certain how to treat me, and advised me to return if I got ill again. That was the last conversation we had. After doing my own research I found that the only people who cured their condition were those who switched to veganism and/or used cannabis.
When I sifted through the archives, all the conventional sources of medicine concluded that there was no cure for the disease; only treatment with toxic substances i.e. pills and injections.
Since switching to veganism my UC has been in remission, I want to expedite the process by using cannabis here in Japan, but I am scared, plus my job conducts Olympic style drugs tests on its employees.
Also, as a foreigner, the punishment and scandal surrounding someone who is a non-Japanese is multiplied ten-fold. In essence, the risk is too great. I am even more cautious after hearing the story of a woman who had a run in with the law after she was found taking cannabis oil for a similar disease. Though she lives in the United States, I am still fearful when I hear her story. You can hear her story below, it is quite interesting.
I really need some strength because it is hard not only being kept from this medicine, but being in a foreign country where one has little agency. Despite this, I now see the importance of sharing one’s story on a platform like this. And for those who may be wondering why I am in Japan and not elsewhere, where the medicine is accommodated. The simple answer is economics. Until then words and steemit.com is all I have. Thank you and I look forward to your comments.