A dying cancer patient used cannabis to ease pain. His hospital called the police - The Guardian

Hospital unit successful Kansas called the constabulary connected a antheral dying of crab who was utilizing cannabis products to header with his symptoms, successful an incidental that has since sparked outrage and renewed calls to rethink the state’s strict cannabis laws.

The brushwood took spot successful mid-December, erstwhile constabulary successful the metropolis of Hays accidental 2 officers showed up astatine the crab patient’s infirmary country to contented him a citation for a cause violation. Police besides took distant a vaping instrumentality and cannabis merchandise that infirmary unit had already confiscated.

While the constabulary section aboriginal dropped the citation, which would person required the crab diligent to look successful court, reports of the incidental fueled statement implicit the continued criminalization of cannabis successful Kansas, 1 of the three US states that has not legalized the merchandise successful immoderate context.

While helium was gladsome the complaint against his begetter was dropped, Lee Bretz, the patient’s son, said the incidental was “humiliating” for his begetter and near him “pretty upset”.

His father, who has terminal, inoperable cancer, was issued a “must appear” citation for cause possession, Bretz said. “He can’t marque it to court. He’s bedridden. He can’t determination his legs.”

“You’d deliberation they would person shown a batch of compassion and not done anything,” his lad said of the officers who responded to the incident.

A spokesperson for the Hays aesculapian halfway successful Hays, Kansas, did not instantly respond to requests for comment.

Greg Bretz, the 69-year-old crab patient, initially told an opinion columnist for the Wichita Eagle that helium was “flat connected my back” successful his infirmary bed, and that helium had been utilizing a vaping instrumentality and eating immoderate THC paste connected breadstuff to header with the symptoms of his disease.

A doc had told him that it was good “to bash immoderate helium wants if it makes him consciousness better”, since determination were nary aesculapian treatments near for him different than hospice care, helium said.

On 19 December, infirmary unit contacted the Hays constabulary section astir a diligent vaping successful a infirmary room, which “they were acrophobic astir arsenic a imaginable occurrence hazard”, and besides possessing THC, “which is amerciable successful the authorities of Kansas”, Hays constabulary main Don Scheibler said.

An archetypal study of the constabulary enactment with the crab diligent arsenic a “Christmastime hospital-room raid” was inaccurate, Scheibler said. “It’s not a raid.”

Scheibler said helium had reviewed an audio signaling of the 2 officers’ enactment with the diligent successful the infirmary room, which helium said lasted “less than 8 minutes” and successful which officers were “polite, courteous, respectful” to the frustrated patient, portion issuing him a citation for a cause usurpation with a tribunal day of 26 January.

The constabulary serviceman who issued the cause citation to the crab diligent had 2nd thoughts, the constabulary main said, and, that aforesaid day, aft a treatment with a supervisor, emailed the metropolis prosecutor, recommending that helium disregard the charge.

“At the extremity of the day, they showed compassion and empathy, and that’s what they privation from instrumentality enforcement,” Scheibler said. “They made the determination to constitute the summons and made the proposal to disregard it connected their own. It wasn’t thing that happened successful the news.”

Because of the Christmas holiday, the metropolis authoritative had not seen the email astir dismissing the complaint until aft the constabulary enactment with the crab diligent had already go a viral quality story, the constabulary main said. He said helium personally fto the diligent cognize connected 27 December that the constabulary section was not pursuing the citation and that helium would not person to look successful court.

More than a 100 radical person called oregon emailed the Hays constabulary department, upset astir quality reports of officers’ interactions with the crab patient, the main said. Local quality outlets reported that the hospital had besides received threats successful the aftermath of the reported incident.

“As a constabulary officer, we don’t find what the instrumentality is,” Scheibler said. “I deliberation the treatment astir aesculapian marijuana needs to happen.”

Lee Bretz, the patient’s son, said helium hoped Kansas would legalize aesculapian marijuana soon. “Nobody wants to spot their loved ones hurting, and you’d bash thing to spot them not hurt,” helium said.