WBAL TV, Baltimore, July 29, 2003
Md. Mom Fights For Medical Marijuana Use
Mother Uses Marijuana To Treat Crohn's Disease Symptoms
BALTIMORE -- A Maryland mother who openly admits she smokes marijuana said it's the only way she can cope with her chronic disease and care for her family -- but it is illegal.
WBAL-TV 11 News Health Alert reporter Donna Hamilton spoke with Erin Hildebrandt, 32, about her controversial decision. Hildebrandt is a mother of five from Hagerstown. She has suffered a long saga with severe and painful Crohn's Disease that began in the 1990s, Hamilton reported.
"They tried surgeries, experimental surgeries. They tried everything they had at their disposal and nothing worked for me," Hildebrandt said.
Nothing worked, Hildebrandt said, including powerful painkillers like Demerol and Dilaudid. She tried steroids, Prozac and antibiotics -- but nothing worked.
"And the attacks can be quite acute?" Hamilton asked.
"Imagine the worst stomach flu you've ever had, that is what it's like," Hildebrandt said.
That's when a friend, seeing what shape Hildebrandt was in, brought her some marijuana and recommended that she try it because it might help.
"I was sobbing with relief. It made such a big difference. The nausea went away, the pain was less," Hildebrandt said.
So marijuana became Hildebrandt's secret -- and illegal -- answer to Crohn's Disease. She was afraid to tell her doctor, but fear is what led her to imagine the worst, Hamilton said.
"The bottom line for me is I don't belong in prison, I don't belong being arrested [and] I shouldn't have to worry about a dangerous raid on my home with guns pointed at my children's heads," Hildebrandt said.
Dr. Steven Noga is the chief of hematology and oncology at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. He has known plenty of cancer patients -- who can't eat because of the nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy -- who have been helped by marijuana.
"You don't do as well when you're getting sick. These patients will eat. The so called munchies, as we've all heard about, it's a real thing," Noga said.
"Don't a lot of doctors sanction this?" Hamilton asked.
"Absolutely," Noga said.
"Even encourage it?" Hamilton asked.
"Yeah, but I think you have to watch the encourage part," Noga said.
According to Dr. Andrea Barthwell, who is the White House deputy director of Drug Control Policy, marijuana has no place in medicine and should remain illegal.
"Marijuana is a drug and not a medicine. We have made time-honored process in this country when we bring medications to the market-place that protects the health of the patient and marijuana has not gone through that test," Barthwell said.
As an alternative, Barthwell suggested to "try Marinol."
Marinol is a federal Food and Drug Administration-approved drug that is a synthetic form of the active ingredient in marijuana. But there's a problem for many people.
"These drugs have to be taken by mouth. lots of patients can't eat, because they're nauseated, so they can't take the pills," Noga said.
Noga is among a group of doctors who believe marijuana should be dispensed by prescription to those who need it so the amount and the grade can be controlled.
"When they're getting it from an illegal source or a dubious source, one never knows what one is getting," Noga said.
"Erin, a lot of people would just call you a lawbreaker," Hamilton said.
"Yeah, technically I broke the law, no doubt about it. But my choice was that or not being able to care for my family," Hildebrandt said.
Hildebrandt's Crohn's Disease is in remission for the time being, so she doesn't currently use marijuana. But she said next week or next year, that could change.
"It's these things, the baking cookies, finger painting, taking the kids out and playing that I really used to miss -- and marijuana gave me that back," Hildebrandt said.
In May, the state of Maryland lowered the penalties for possessing marijuana for medical reasons. The federal government hasn't followed suit and can still conduct raids and arrest anyone possessing marijuana, Hamilton reported.
