Part one of a three part series
By Jayme Fraser, Montana Kaimin
Jeff Swensen did not tie down his legs late Tuesday night before climbing in bed to watch his favorite television shows. A car accident when he was 16 paralyzed him from the nipples down, which makes his legs “flop uncontrollably.” He used to worry about falling asleep in front of the screen without properly restraining them. For the past several years, however, the 27-year-old Helena man hasn’t worried as much because a regimen of smoking medical marijuana, or cannabis, prevents the spasms, reduces chronic pain in his arms and helps him sleep.
“I started out using recreationally, but then I noticed it cut back on my muscle spasms,” Swensen said. He smoked pot illegally in Minnesota, a state that makes no exceptions to harsh criminal punishments for medical use. There, Swensen self-medicated when he could, but it was difficult to maintain a steady supply of marijuana.
When his wife Jana wanted to move back to her home state of Montana three years ago, Swensen agreed. He began looking for a doctor who would recommend him for the state’s medical marijuana program so he could medicate regularly and receive full relief of his symptoms without worrying about criminal prosecution.