I’m shocked and saddened by the death of Senator Any Hill.  I reside in the 45th District which he served.  Over the years I’ve visited his office countless times lobbying for cannabis, education, & other various things.   We connected on many levels.  A few years back we both had kids LWYSA soccer teams that made it to the state championship level.  Family & soccer always were in the mix.  These were good ways to connect.  One of our larger shared experiences was being cancer survivors.  That really makes this a hard blow.

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I had no idea he was having a recurrence.  We’ve spoken so many times about medical cannabis, my decision to use it in my cancer treatments & his decision to not use it in his.  These are deeply personal matters.  He was always very open to hearing my story & that of those I’ve lobbied with.  I’ve seen powerful first hand testimony about medical cannabis in his office and always felt great connection with him.  

I can’t help but wonder if cannabis would not have saved him, or at least made him more comfortable.  Were all my visits in vain?  While he was certainly not anti cannabis at all, I wish he would have been more open to using it as a treatment for his cancer.  Possibly he did this time.  I’m just so saddened to hear of his passing and kinda pissed off too. 

Prohibition is killing people.

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I’m going to quote from ABCNews

“Harvard University researchers have found that, in both laboratory and mouse studies, delta-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) cuts tumor growth in half in common lung cancer while impeding the cancer’s ability to spread.”  

This is as far back as 2007 yet the stigma of cannabis as a medicine keeps those it would save away from it.  Prohibition has stymied medical research on so many fronts keeping this wonderful – natural medicine away from the people who need it most!

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Opioid addiction is a national epidemic.  Yet to qualify for medical cannabis, you must have tried pharmaceuticals and have them fail you. Shouldn’t the answer be try the natural plant first and if that doesn’t work move to the addictive, side effect list a mile long, might kill you, pharmaceuticals? 

We have this so backwards – again – due to the stigma attached to being a cannabis user.  

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Now the world is missing a really great guy who loved his family, community, and listened to all my cannabis, hemp, & other stories with an open heart.  I’m going to miss you Andy Hill!  I will be in Anchorage for my own father’s memorial service so will miss yours! 

My deepest condolences to the Hill family and all our other legislators in Olympia.  I cannot image this loss for you!

Cancer Sucks!