We told you a few weeks ago about South Florida activist Robert Platshorn, who is raising money to put out hundreds of informercials informing senior citizens about how weed is, like, so good for you. He says the senior demographic is key to the legalization movement, and his Kickstarter is going great guns in the right direction.
The centerpiece of today's Sun-Sentinel also helps that movement -- by revealing that getting high with old people is probably one of the most fun things you can do with a Schedule I controlled substance.
The print edition's headline is "Turning a New Leaf to Get Pain Relief." The online version, however, much better matches the tone of the story: "Reefer tokin' seniors in South Florida see pain go up in smoke." You can check out the story on their website (unless you're stuck behind the paywall), but, in case you were on the fence about smoking up your octogenarian neighbor, here are a few of the choicest quotes that should inspire you to break out the bong and call Herman and Ethel over for a good time:
"It's like taking a magic pill," said a 70-year-old Boca Raton woman who smokes pot almost daily to counteract cancer chemotherapy pain. "I can have a crappy, crappy day and I take one toke and in less than three minutes I'm leveled out and feel wonderful."What are we waiting for?
But when a friend with an out-of-state prescription for medical marijuana offered a joint to alleviate the "excruciating" pain of a shoulder injury, Mary took a chance. "I had one hit and I went, 'Oh, dear God, this is awesome.'"
For years, a 65-year-old Pompano Beach retiree tried every manner of drug from Dilaudid to morphine to battle pain from damaged bones, arthritis and fibromyalgia. "I've been on all the hard drugs and nothing happens," he said. Then he sampled a little reefer.
"I'll tell you, the first hit there was Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah day," he said. "The only thing that helps is happy grass."
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