Blind, Diabetic, Double-Amputee Dies After Being Evicted for Medical Marijuana Use

When we talk about who has the best slum landlord stories we now have to mention this tragic case.

Marilyn Holsten was 49 years old and in frail health, suffering from diabetes. She'd had both legs amputated, was almost blind, and received dialysis six hours a day. She lived for eight years at Anavets Senior Citizens Housing Society building at 951 8th Ave E, Vancouver Canada.

Marilyn's landlord did not like the smell of marijuana, so he gave her an eviction notice. She became very distraught and as a result her health deteriorated rapidly. Eventually, she died of a heart attack this August. Her sister, Moira O'Neil, said Marilyn's last days on Earth were a living hell.

To cope with her dreadful pain, Marilyn used marijuana. Her only mistake was that she didn't have the authorization to possess pot. She said that she was overwhelmed by the paperwork to get permission from the government. But she did have a letter from her doctor, Dr. Fraser Norrie, stating that he recommended marijuana use as part of her medical treatment. Dr. Norrie asked Marilyn's landlord to accept her need to smoke marijuana. In response, Mary McLeod, the administrator of Anavets, said, "While your doctor supports your decision to use marijuana, he has not prescribed it for medicinal purposes," and that "Marijuana use is still against the law and ... as part of your tenancy agreement, you agreed you would not participate in illegal activities."

Numerous organizations support allowing patients legal access to medical marijuana, including the AIDS Action Council, American Bar Association, American Public Health Association, California Medical Association, National Association of Attorneys General, and several state nurses associations. Public opinion also supports ending the prohibition of medical marijuana. According to a Gallup poll, 73% of Americans are in favor of "making marijuana legally available for doctors to prescribe in order to reduce pain and suffering."

Marijuana is an indispensable medicine that helps mitigate chronic pain and stimulates appetite. Patients suffering from cancer, AIDS and other forms of disease greatly benefit from access to marijuana. While the debate over marijuana use for medical purposes has come a long way over the past decade, even in places with medical marijuana laws patients still often face life-threatening discrimination.

A protest memorial is planned on September 2nd in front of the apartment building Marilyn lived in. Hopefully the death of Marilyn Holsten will not be in vain and can be used to help others legitimize the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

Anthony Papa is the author of 15 To Life and a communications specialist for Drug Policy Alliance.

Follow Anthony Papa on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AnthonyPapa

Comments

[newageblues]

What a horrible, horrible story. If she hadn't been forced to pay black market prices for her medicine she could have afforded a vaporizer and the landlord wouldn't have smelled the weed and she'd still be alive. Even a water pipe might help to keep a nosy, and in this case barbaric, landlord at bay.

[PostModernPatriot]

It's the poor and the helpless who are being crushed by the ludicrous War on Drugs.

Our celebrities appear on TV and laugh about their drug use.

Our politicians tell us how they "OF COURSE" smoked marijuana while in college.

Yet they sit idly by while young people's lives are ruined forever with felony convictions or worse and our sick & elderly cannot get the relief they need from a harmless plant.

[moldy]

Medical Marijuana is supposed to "Take the sick and dying off the battle field of the Drug War" but it seems it has made more victims. Pot users don't shoot back and if you're sick well that's really "low hanging fruit for the taking by law enforcement or the courts but in this case it's a lowly piece of crap landlord.
Shame on the cruel society that perpetuates these lies only for profit by those who are in power. I get soooo tired of seeing these stories where people die all because they chose a safer treatment for their sickness.
It has to stop!

[budtradermike]

This should not be happening. Medical Marijuana is part of the culture in California www.budtrader.com lets you post free ads for medical marijuana products. helping other patients in need of medication.

[ConnieInCleveland]

SAD! SAD! SAD!

President Obama could right the wrongs of Richard Nixon and re-classify cannabis. Richard Nixon left office in shame, but left the shameful classification behind.

The saddest thing about it is, our politicians have used the 'war on drugs' as a political tool ever since. Facts be damned! It's time to stop using 'war on American soil' as a political tool!

http://www.csdp.org/publicservice/nixon06.pdf

* Visit http://www.csdp.org/publicservice/nixon06notes.htm for citations, including full text of the Shafer Report

Common Sense for Drug Policy
www.CommonSenseDrugPolicy.org www.DrugWarFacts.org
www.ManagingChronicPain.org www.MedicalMJ.org
www.TreatingDrugAddiction.org
[e-mail]

[soccermom]

A person in frail health can have an adverse reaction to marijuana. It has been linked to heart attacks in older people and it is not good for the lungs. It may ease pain but cause other side effects. Discrimination is in the eye of the beholder. If marijuana is legalized, I would assume the same laws that relate to second hand smoke would be in effect. Tobacco smokers tried the discrimination argument and lost, and they have created a precedent which will apply to marijuana. Moreover, smoked marijuana will probably never gain legitimacy as medicine due to the side effects and the carcinogens in it.

[tensity1]

OMG, you're still around posting on marijuana issues that you know nothing about?

1. Links to heart attacks in older people is supposed and not proven. Freaking getting too cold could kill an old person. Or anybody. Better outlaw winter! Not good for the lungs? What do you mean by that? because there is no evidence it causes COPD, emphysema, or cancer, and recent research actually shows lower rates of lung and other cancers in people who smoke pot.

2. Your second-hand smoke argument just shows that a) you don't know that as a whole, pot smoke isn't dangerous, and b) you have a cold heart just like the landlords of Anavets.

3. Smoked marijuana never gain legitimacy? So you're okay with it as long as it's not smoked? Many people already do that, but 13 states in the USA already have no problems with marijuana as medicine, even smoked, and the latest studies show that marijuana smoke, as a whole--not individual chemicals in it--is not significantly adverse to health, even with chronic use.

You sure do talk about side effects a lot. Are you uptight about people enjoying their medicine? If you're so worried about side effects, why don't you go post about the thousands of legal drugs out on the market with side effects wider in scope and more intense in effect.

[fredamae]

Please, Inform yourself of the Science of Cannabis Medicines Before you speak!

Not One person needs to Smoke Cannabis, not anymore and I think I have told You that before!

You compare Cannabis Smoke to Tobacco? Research and come Back to the table.

As with ALL medicines, Cannabis does Not work for every-Body! Every-Body, however, should have vthe OPTION of Choosing CannaMeds If They and their Doctor's believe it may help Mitigate their Symptoms.

[Anthony Papa - Huffpost Blogger]

The point of the story is that the landlord discriminated against her use of medical marijuana as treatment. Today there will be a protest calling for the resigination of those who called for her eviction. The BC Marijuana Party is organizing a protest memorial in front of the Anavets building Holsten lived in at 951 E 8th Ave, on Wednesday, September 2, from 12-6pm, in Vancouver http://whyprohibition.ca/blogs/jacob-hunter/protest-memorial-marilyn-holsten

[anthonytaurus]

When are you people going to stop regurgitating these same ridiculous lies and conjecture? Next thing you'll be repeating ol' Anslinger's words. You literally have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. I'd ask where you got your information from but I see half of it comes from DEA lies and the other half is total imagination.

Tens of thousands of studies exist already that prove marijuana's utility as well as safety. Millions of personal stories counter every piece of misinformation you've vomited. While the US is behind on research and development of this plant, nations like Spain, Portugal, and Israel are learning everything this plant can do.

As pharmaceutical companies research this plant in hopes of making a fake version of it to sell to you and your children, hundreds of thousands of people suffer on a daily basis. And to this very day, through thousands of years of recorded history, not one death can attributed to marijuana. Even drinking water has killed more people than marijuana. Ask Jennifer Strange.

You have seriously got to educate yourself on the truth about marijuana and stop being frightened of a drug whose only side effects include sleepiness and hunger.

[moldy]

Well, you're right! She was in frail health so just put a pillow over face and kill her. That's pretty much what they did to her and you're saying it's not good for the lungs? You missed the point and missed the mark on your knowledge of cannabis. Like I said a couple of weeks ago... get educated and quit spewing out your moralistic lies. Jeeeeze already!

[iseesitlikeitis]

Two words: Jury Nullification Anyone who is on a jury in a marijuana case should refuse to convict. Send a message to the government that marijuana laws are unjust
You don't have to wait until the next election to be heard.

[Nicon]

How much does the Drug War cost each year and how many people die because of it??

Click below to find out.

http://www.esquire.com/the-side/richardson-report/drug-war-facts-090109

[Nicon]

Marijuana CAN NOT cause the death of a human, but the Prohibition of Marijuana continues to claim lives on a near daily basis.

There is something wholly UN-American about that.

[Sarah Katherine]

The only thing deadly or even dangerous about Cannabis is it's prohibition.

[research]

Pot is far safer for the individual and the society

than Alcohol.

Legalize pot, even more than alcohol.

The war on pot is the war on Peace loving hippies,

Our Prisons are mostly to hold political prisoner in the War on Hippies and Peace.

[fredamae]

Cannabis does cause Death, but Not like WE All Assume!

The Most dangerous Element Surrounding The Use Of Cannabis ARE The Laws, Rules and Policies Governing It's Use!!

What Say You AG Holder? Enough of This Cruel Political Nonsense!

Federally De-Schedule And Decriminalize Cannabis Now!!!

This is NOT the First of Such Cruel and Unnecessary Deaths From The Use Of Cannabis:

http://www.komonews.com/news/18475224.html

http://www.mpp.org/victims/

How freekin' Barbaric and Apathetic Are you?