Ken Locke
Biker Rider
As a young boy growing up in Bloomington
Illinois, I Knew of the existence of Marijuana, Pot, Jane (there are many names for this one plant). Many older people smoked it, and as the years passed, they became moms and dads, and had a lot of healthy, smart children.
And more years passed. Now it was my turn to test out the big world of being an individual, a young adult, an adventurer doing what most young people do in the process of going up. Parties, Social Interaction, Drugs.
Drugs, as we know come in many forms and cause many different effects. During my years of growing up, I witnessed all the different effects that each drug had on individuals. After experimenting and understanding my share, I found that the safest was Marijuana, compared to Alcohol, LSD, cocaine, and, legal but also dangerous, prescription drugs.
As a youngin', I had heard many times that some folks use Marijuana as a medicine for their injuries, which were present in different forms from physical, emotional, to physiological pain. People of all ages. As kids, we just understood it as something to smoke and get high, not really understanding the medical sense or use of the plant at the time.
As the years passed, a day arrived that I would never forget. In November of 2001, while working cutting down trees for our paintball field, a tree top broke out of a 100 foot tall popular tree, and fell striking me in the right side of my head, making a pretty good hole. Although unconscious, I was told that when they took me up the road to the hospital, blood was pouring out of the ambulance door and onto the street.
After two hours at our local hospital, the air ambulance (MAMA) flew in and picked me up. They took me to the Asheville Hospital. I was knocked out during the whole event and effectively did not reawaken until 3 days later, after which I was told I had gone though reconstructive skull surgery.
Apparently, when the tree limb struck, it shattered the right front section of my skull. With the super-skills of the doctors at the Asheville Hospital, they removed that section of the skull and removed the mess that was on my brain. Then they rebuilt the section they removed, which was close to the size of a cigarette pack, and reattached it.
After hearing this, I asked for a mirror to see what happened to me. Wow! There where tubes coming out of my head all over. Wow again. Plus 12 screws and 6 steels plates to hold it all back together! Triple Wow! At that point I knew my life had changed. But I thanked God that I was alive :o)
After a few more days in bed with tubes, the doctors came in and started removing the tubes Yea :) It was time to get up. It was time to get busy living or get busy dying. I choose Living. :o)
The doctors were amazed, when the next day I was shuffling my feet and moving upright. It was most difficult to move my feet: Everything was a relearn. That tree must have hit me pretty hard. By day 7, I was easing my way out the door of the hospital on my way home to heal.
All the doctor visits that followed, learning that there will be effects that follow, such a head injury. Headaches, Seizures, Facial Nerve and Tissue Damage from both injury and surgery. I had to Relearn things just to function.
They straight up told me that most people don't live though such an event and if they do they are usually pretty messed up.
I was prescribed several medications for pain, and was told I may have to take them for a long time, which in fact, it was no more than two weeks. I had seen for myself, that these prescribed drugs were doing me no good for I was not able to fully function. Think is not the right word; I could clearly see them, not helping me in healing.
I experienced two seizures and was prescribed anti seizure medication, which was to prevent any more seizures from occurring, but in reality the effect of the medication was daily nausea, severe depression, loss of appetite, and weight loss. Each morning I was awaking in a cloudy fog.
After a year of telling the doctors how I was feeling and finally asking them for Medical Marijuana, they told me that there is not enough research, plus their hands are tied. I showed them the information, and still their hands are tied because of the DEA's scheduling of the plant.
Well, as THE person having to live and deal with these conditions, is ME - Since their hands are tied, MINE are not. I removed myself, by my own choosing, from the Prescribed medications for my conditions and replaced them with Marijuana. Daily use.
I have been off my Prescribed medications for over a year (3yr 2 months). With only the use of marijuana, I quit having nausea and stomach cramps, my appetite is good, I have gained weight, almost proper for my height. With the help of marijuana, the Migraine Headaches quit and the sharp pains became far more manageable. Marijuana raised me out of depression and made my facial muscles spasm far less. Marijuana helped me get a good nights sleep and I am creative and finally working full time again. :o)
Thank GOD for the plant that HE created. I am healthy, functional, Prescription free. Alive and Happy and Fully Functional.
I see and know so many people, young to old, suffering with pain and discomfort. And with the unjust laws against Medical Marijuana, the government sits to the side, watching millions suffer needlessly while allowing prescribed drugs (man-made) to flood the population, drugs which have side effects that clearly do not heal, but do cause more harm to the body. And addictions. Addictions that are taking lives daily.
Marijuana use for medical needs should not be inhibited nor denied. This is a plant and a gift given to us by God.
As an American Citizen, I call to all people, A Call To End the Lies about Marijuana and begin the healthy, natural approach to getting our people off unnecessary, prescribed, artificial means to healing and to lift our people to the full understanding and use of this beneficial, God created Plant and Tool for our world to use and benefit from.
My personal experience has convinced me that the lowly cannabis plant must be for the use of all mankind. To this end, I ride across the United States of America. I hope that my bike ride will bring about Awareness of the beneficial and healthy effects of medical marijuana.
From the Heart, my testimonial in the presence of God and all.
Ken Locke
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