Jewish Leaders Testify for Medical Marijuana
Ruth Damsker still remembers how her husband, Jeffrey, a physician, was terminally ill with an aggressive form of brain cancer. He tried several therapies to find relief — all without success. Finally, his physician suggested an alternative treatment: marijuana.
"He thought it would be helpful, but obviously my husband was uncomfortable experimenting with it because he knew it was illegal," Damsker recalled. "It really saddened me that he was unable to have an alternative therapy that would at least make him feel more comfortable."
That was in 2001 — the year her husband died — but Damsker retold that story last week to the state House of Representatives Health and Human Services Committee, which is considering a bill that would legalize marijuana for medical use only.
Damsker, a board member of the Jewish Social Policy Action Network in Philadelphia, testified in favor of House Bill 1393. Rabbi Eric Cytrin of Temple Beth El in Harrisburg, a Conservative congregation, also testified that medical marijuana was consistent with Jewish values.
