( 4UMF NEWS ) Judge Admits He Smokes Pot:
A Brooklyn judge has given new meaning to the High Court.
Supreme Court Justice Gustin Reichbach revealed Thursday he illegally smokes pot to battle the side-effects from treatment of his pancreatic cancer — and implored state lawmakers to lighten up and pass a medical marijuana law.
“Inhaled marijuana is the only medicine that gives me some relief from nausea, stimulates my appetite, and makes it easier to fall asleep,” he wrote in an op-ed in The New York Times. “It is barbaric to deny [cancer patients] access to one substance that has proved to ameliorate our suffering.”
The 65-year-old jurist, who routinely hears criminal cases involving illegal drug possession, said he enjoys a few puffs before dinner and takes more tokes before hitting the hay. His friends supply him with the weed, he said.
Reichbach was diagnosed with the fatal disease three and a half years ago and was told by doctors he had only months to live. He said a debilitating regimen of treatments has kept him going long past his life expectancy — but at a steep cost.
“My survival has demanded an enormous price, including months of chemotherapy, radiation hell and brutal surgery,” he wrote.
His controversial stance drew cheers from politicians pushing for the passage of a medical marijuana bill in Albany.
One of the bill’s sponsors, state Sen. Diane Savino (D-Staten Island), called the editorial “incredibly moving and brave.”
Reichbach’s admission could jeopardize his standing as a judge. A court official called his confession “extremely unusual.”
Related articles
- New York judge writes impassioned defense of medical marijuana (guardian.co.uk)
- Judge with cancer makes case for marijuana (lfpress.com)
- US judge with cancer makes case for marijuana (todayonline.com)
