Six illegal plants and a German AIDS patient
Andreas* was infected with the HIV virus 27 years ago. When the virus broke out in 1994, AIDS research was still in its infancy. The medication was by no means as effective as today, and caused serious gastric distress. For many people, the outbreak of the disease was still a deadly diagnosis. While California legalized medical cannabis back in 1996 with Proposition 215, news of the medical potential of the forbidden plant did not reach Germany.
But Andreas was already a regular consumer before the diagnosis, and after the outbreak of the illness, he learned quite quickly how much cannabis helped him. The consumption of cannabis with a bong stimulated his lacking appetite and alleviated the side effects of the indigestible antiviral drugs. “Without hashish I would have probably starved to death, after the outbreak of the virus I weighed 50 kilograms at 1.70 meters body size. At that time, the mood-enhancing effect of cannabis helped me a lot. After all, I did not know at the time if or when the virus would kill me.”
His MD at the time already knew about Andreas’ self medication and advised his patient to continue utilizing the appetite-stimulating effects of THC illegally. An almost even more important effect is the suppression of the refraction, which Andreas himself still feels after having taken a “hand full of colorful pills” as he calls the antiviral drugs. Although these have become more compatible and effective over the last two decades, Andreas is able to enjoy a higher quality of life with the help of the morning bong.
Today, the 52-year-old weighs 65 kilograms, plays sports, has a part-time job and stable social life. The MD who has been treating Andreas for 22 years recently took him aside and told him that his viral load was inexplicably low. The doctor plans to discuss the phenomenon with his colleagues — he has never seen such success in a long-term patient. A study by the University of Louisiana recently found that cannabis not only alleviates symptoms of HIV, but also controls the growth of the virus itself. Of course Andreas’ case is a single one, and not necessarily representative of all patients. Still, medicine and medical research in Europe need to take up the issue just as other parts of the world have already done.
Of course, Andreas could try to get medical cannabis by legal means. In Germany, legal cannabis is available either as a ready-to-use drug (Sativex or Dronabinol/Marinol) or in the form of imported, Dutch medicinal flowers sold by the pharmacy. To receive the “Cannabis Flos” from the Federal Dutch Cannabis program, an exemption license is required. This license is far more difficult to obtain than in most U.S. states with medical cannabis programs. With his diagnosis, obtaining a license would not be a problem, but the process takes months. And even with a Medical Card, Andreas would not be allowed to grow his own cannabis, as he currently does. In additiona, one gram of cannabis costs 15 Euros at the pharmacy — Andreas produces his own medicine for 1.20 Euros/gram.
“I’ve been taking care of my medicine for almost 20 years. The new law on medical cannabis is intentionally designed in such a way to prevent patients from growing their medicine in the future. This is why some of us call it the “Personal Cannabis Cultivation Prevention Act”. On the one hand, I think it is important the state wants to ensure a regular supply after years of ignorance and pressure. But on the other hand it is ridiculous that, despite the new medical cannabis program, my six medicinal Ladies are still illegal after keeping me going for 20 years. I could not even afford the cannabis from the pharmacy at a monthly cost of nearly 1,000 Euros due to my two-gram daily needs. But even if the health insurances will reimburse it one day, I will not want to rely on the few varieties from the pharmacy.”
Six “Casey Jones x Green Manalishi” plants and 125 watts
Andreas’ current favorite cannabis strain to help him get through the day is “Casey Jones x Green Manalishi.” He needs a relatively high THC content, the CBD content is not important to him. For his suffering, he must rely on the specification of the breeder and can not have the flowers grown from limited “Freebee” seeds from the Netherlands. The strain is a Sativa-dominant hybrid and blooms between 12 and 13 weeks under a good 125 Watt LED-light setup. Andreas’ grow is nearly ready for harvest. The “Casey Jones” influence is clearly visible on the deep purple colored leaves. In order to ensure the best offspring, the indoor expert has selected a mother plant from the best of his 20 Dutch seeds, which will continue to provide him with illegal and cost-effective medicine.
One patient has been allowed to grow legally so far
After 16 years and many court cases, a single Multiple Sclerosis patient named Michael F. has managed to obtain a cultivation permit, and three more permits could soon follow. However, the license is limited until June 30, 2017, and is likely not to be extended as soon as licensed producers can supply the 58-year-old Michael F. with cannabis from Germany. In contrast to Michael F., Andreas does not want to sue the Federal Republic of Germany, he hopes to be able to cultivate his medicine secretly and undisturbed – until it is 100% legal one day.
*Name changed by the author
