The Making of Mommy’s Funny Medicine

The World’s First Children’s book About Medical Marijuana

By Russell Barth

Activism started for myself and my wife Christine Lowe-Barth, in May 2002. We attended a “Million Marijuana March” rally on Parliament Hill, and after hearing people talk openly about how cannabis was saving their lives, Christine decided that it was time for her to make the leap as well. At that time, her Epilepsy was completely out of control; she was not getting any better. The pills were making her sicker all the time and she was still having seizures. She told me that she was planning to quit all of her medications and just use cannabis, If she was going to do this, it would affect me as well. Living under 24 hour supervision was difficult for us both. I was the one catching her when she had seizures. In my opinion, we had to be fully committed to trying this cannabis option. We had to go public. We had to become activists like the people we had seen at the rally.

Christine started using cannabis later that week, and has used it daily ever since. The frequency and ferocity of her seizures diminished by 75%. In 2002, she had between 60-70 seizures, In 2004 Christine had 13 seizures and in 2005 only 9 seizures.

In September of 2002, I gave a $300 to someone I thought was a friend, to get me cannabis for my fibromyalgia. He never came back. The anxiety and sense of betrayal caused me to go into a health spiral, and I started to lose weight immediately. I lost twelve lbs in twelve days, and was falling to a dangerous weight for my 6ft frame. My weight bottomed out at 129 by the end of that year, at least 25 pounds underweight

In December of 2002, I met a woman in a wheelchair on Bank Street in Ottawa. Using an electric wheelchair for most of my own travel needs, we stopped to talk to her to commiserate about the state of Ottawa’s sidewalks, and to pet her Pomeranian. We got talking about our respective medical situations, and she said that she was using ten Tylenol 3’s per day. We asked her if she had ever tried medical cannabis. She became shocked and offended. “What would I tell my grandson?” she asked. In unison, we answered “The truth!” “If he fell down and hurt his leg or something, he would want to use it too!” “Be sensible.” We told her.” You don’t give him T 3’s if he falls down. Just tell him granny’s medicine is for granny, and that is it.”

She was one of the most closed minded people I had ever met. The conversation was pointless. She did not want to hear what we had to say, and her behavior was falling just shy of her sticking her fingers in her ears and hollering “La la la…can’t hear you!”

Now, I have had numerous problems with prescription medications and alcohol myself over the years, and had felt the cold touch of withdrawal more than once.

She mentioned “addiction” and I asked her if she had ever tried kicking those T3’s? When I asked that question, there was a flash of recognition and shame across her face. I realized right then and there that I wasn’t arguing with a person any longer, I was arguing with a drug.

We parted ways, and headed home. On our way, one of us turned to the other (but we can’t remember which), and said “Someone should write a children’s book.”

About two weeks later, just days before Christmas, I was talking to my father on the phone while he vacationed in Florida. He has always been an avid prohibitionist, so we didn’t discuss cannabis. After I got off the phone, I said to Christine “How can I ever explain this activism stuff to him?” I mimed pointing to a book, as if teaching a child to read. “It is like I need to get him a little book that says ‘See Russell sick on his pills. See Russell using pot. See Russell feeling better.’ or something….” The moment froze as Christine and I looked at each other in awe, and our stomachs tightened. Right there in that moment, we saw the whole plan. A children’s book. Simple, delicate, non-intrusive, and non-promotional. Just the straight truth.

We also knew that to make a book about medical marijuana, aimed directly at the under-10-year-old market, was not only subversive, it was potentially dangerous. Done incorrectly, it could offend a large number of people, and might do more to hurt the movement to legalize marijuana than help it. We knew there was tremendous responsibility involved.

The text for the book was written in under two hours. I quickly jotted down lines, while picturing the layout of the book and illustrations. We did some preliminary sketches, and the first draft was completed the next day.

Within a week, we showed it to Mike Foster. He is a well-known “counterculture boutique” owner, well-seasoned activist in Ottawa, and a very good friend to Christine and I. He saw the first draft, and immediately got choked up. “You guys have to do this. This is an amazing idea.”

Over the month of January, Christine did the drawings for the illustrations, and we changed the text and the structure to accommodate. The story was based on my medical condition and events from my life, told through the eyes of a little girl, watching her mother. I left the text with Christine, and later, she would show me the drawings for each frame. I burst out crying more than once. The most difficult task was the coloring. We had scanned all of the ink drawings, and loaded them into the computer. I spent the month of February 2003, touching up millions of little black and white dots, and then colorizing the images as they appear in the book. When Mike saw the first print of the completed work, he said “I like it so much, I think I will publish it myself.” He has taken care of the business end of the whole project ever since. He paid to have 2000 copies printed up, and they have been slowly selling over the past two years.

Christine and I had been on TV and in print more than once by this time, and when the book was finally released on April 21, 2003, we tried to hustle up some publicity. We decided that the proceeds of the book would go to The National Capital Compassion Society, an Ottawa-based not-for-profit organization that Christine, Mike, myself, and many others helped found. So far, Mommy’s Funny Medicine has raised about $1000 for the NCCS, and we have had nothing but positive feedback. Copies of it have been put on display in the Cannabis Museum in Amsterdam, and is registered with an ISBN number in the National Library Of Canada.

For copies of Mommy’s Funny Medicine, contact:
Crosstown Traffic 593 – C Bank St, Ottawa, ON, K1S 3T4, Canada 613-234-1210 crosstowntraffic@rogers.com www.crosstowntraffic.ca

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Posts

This menu shows the most recently posted content for a quick update since you last checked-in.

How to Sober Up from Being High?

Cannabis consumption brings different effects, depending on the person’s level of smoking tolerance. After an extreme euphoric effect, what comes...

From the Family Vault of Shanti-Baba

"Seems more than strange to grow up as a child and see how important my parents and their peers viewed...

Why Get Pines Wheatgrass

Wheatgrass might just be a typical plant growing in your backyard, but few people know that it has a lot...

How to Make Your Own Canna-Caps

by Old Hippie BeyondChronic.com What do you do when you need cannabis medicine and you can’t or don’t want to...

Database Search

Are you researching marijuana as medicine? Use the simple form below to search any condition. Read personal stories from patients just...

Cannabinoid Receptors in the Body and Their Importance

David B. Allen M.D. By legal Democratic Vote; Cannabis Is Medicine To get CBD from top verified sources, click here....

The True Origins of Haze

By Big Herb It all began in 1969, In Santa Cruz, California. At the time, there was Thai Oaxacan and...

Top 5 Health Benefits of Hemp Seeds

Hemp seeds are those seeds that are formed from Cannabis Sativa, a hemp plant. They are different from marijuana but...

Cannabis and Working Out

If you're wondering how cannabis can help you with your workout regime, then you probably need to read this article....

How Companies Are Creating Innovative New CBD Products

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive compound found in cannabis and hemp that may deliver unique health benefits. CBD is just...

5 Marijuana Compounds That Could Help Combat Cancer, Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s

by Paul Armentano Deputy Director of NORML (the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) This commentary was initially...

Living with Osteogenesis Imperfecta

By Michael Morrow My name is Michael Morrow, I'm 37  years  old and I have Osteogenesis Imperfecta. OI is a...

Gifts from Mother Nature

By Dianna Donnelly - "The couch activist” Aspirin, otherwise known as Acetylsalicylic Acid, is one of the most commonly ingested preventative medicines...

Paradise Seeds Allkush; More Than Just Kush

One of the new feminised strains from Paradise Seeds is named “Allkush”. So nothing but Kush? Taken genetically literally, no...

28ft… The John Berfelo Story

By John Berfelo "Medical marijuana saved me from a life on pharmaceutical drugs..." My name is John Berfelo and this...

My Grinspoon Moment

By Carl Hedberg Sometimes a single meeting can change your life. Such was the case for me when, in the...

The Science Behind Cannabis Safety

David B. Allen M.D. By legal Democratic Vote; Cannabis Is Medicine. Drug safety is on the minds of most all...

Heavenly Hash: The Art, Science and Industry of Cooking with Cannabis Extracts

by Samuel Wells Samuel Wells is an Assistant Professor of English in Denver, CO An Edible Enigma As scientific and...

Living High with HIV

How Medical Marijuana Rivals Mainstream HIV Medicine By BenBot In 2011, I was diagnosed with HIV. An unmarked van was...

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

With Veterans at Risk, Change is Necessary, but Progress is Slow By Mary Lou Smart In 1933, the repeal of...

Milagro Oil for Lung Cancer

By Mary Lou Smart www.medicalcannabisart.com Compassionate care advocates Michelle and Michael Aldrich at Patients Out of Time’s Seventh National Clinical...

Living and Dealing with ADHD

by Patricia Allen It was back in 1974 that I first became familiar with the term Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder...

Inflammatory Comments

by Bill Drake As a long-time TY reader I’ve noticed what seems to me to be a rather over- whelming...

How Cannabis Might Keep Coronary Stents Open Longer

By David B. Allen M.D.Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeon, Member ICRS. And Prisoner of the Drug War Cali215doc@gmail.com First the set...

Unlocking the Secrets, Advanced Tissue Culture

Tissue Culture is a process of isolating cells from plant tissue (explants) which are cultured (grown artificially), in a nutrient...

Anxiety Panic Disorder and Cannabis

By Hal Lubinsky My name is Hal Lubinsky. I'm in my forties, a husband, a father, a grandfather, a U.S....

Can Cannabis Cure Schizophrenia?

By Richard Shrubb, Freelance sailing, health and social affairs journalist ould cannabis treat or even cure schizophrenia? Things look promising...

Multiple Sclerosis: Regaining the Good Life with Whole Plant Therapy

By Mary Lou Smart© 2012 www.medicalcannabisart.com A trial attorney, Jim Dyer practiced law in Tucson, Arizona for 34 years before...

The Science of Cannabis Leads in Many Directions

The Evolution of a Sense of Well-Being By Mary Lou Smart www.medicalcannabisart.com While speaking at Patients Out of Time’s Seventh...

Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

By Shantibaba It is evident for all people who wish to listen that doing all things within moderation is better...

Post Traumatic Stress

Psychology and Medication at its Best By Jeff Kundert OTR Jeff works as a Wellness and Fitness Educator. He has...

The Ripper Effect

By Subcool Some really interesting information has come to my attention, and I am very excited to tell everyone in...

Auto-flowering Plants

By Shantibaba The discreet evolution of Auto-flowering cannabis plants is a recent occurrence, one that is in mode at present...

Uncovering the Original Sacrament: Chris Bennett’s Cannabis and the Soma Solution

Review by Samuel Wells When asked to name an author crucial to the growing mainstream understanding of the uses of...

Cornerstone of Individualized Phytogenetics ACDC 22:1 @ CB3

Alternative Cannabinoid Dietary Cannabis 22%CBDA:1%THCA acting at GPR55 Alias CB3 by William L. Courtney, MD, AACM American Academy of Cannabinoid...

Mr. Magoo

By Ron Hudson My birthdays: I woke that birthday morning, in October of 1966, knowing it would begin like the...

Medical Cannabis University

By Reverend Philip H Hoff - Chancellor, MedicalCannabisUniversity.org ( MCU, Inc. ), a 501 c(3) nonprofit school. The school focused...

Storm’s Story

By Georgia Peschel WHEW! Delivering this kid was like delivering a hurricane!” When our son was born, those were our...

Soil Pests & Diseases

By Lazystrain Soil is a living organism made up of billions of microbes and bacteria. The cosmology of soil life...

A Tragedy Felt Around the World

by Jonny Appleweed On Oct. 27, 1970, President Richard M. Nixon signed into law the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and...

Autism & Cannabis

Prohibition Makes it Tough on Parents by Mary Lou Smart Jeremy Patrone (not his real name) has a goal. He...

Vaporization of Cannabis: Are there benefits over combustion?

By William Eckhardt Although vaporization is a relatively recent development for the delivery of cannabinoids the proliferation of vast numbers...

Bedrocan

By Harry Resin Generally when you think of Amsterdam, you think of the coffee shops, but that’s not all that’s...

How Does Wattage Affect Your Vape? Beginners Guide to Wattage

Many vape devices available on the market allow you to adjust the wattage so that it suits your personal preferences....

9 Healthy Ways of Coping With PTSD

PTSD can affect many individuals and isn’t something that only happens to folks who have served in the army and...

Secrets To A Good Night’s Sleep

After a night spent turning and tossing, you will wake up feeling tired, grumpy, and sleepy. As we get older,...

4 Things To Keep In Mind Before Starting Your Cannabis Journey

Cannabis has recently become legal for medical usage in multiple parts across the U.S and several other countries for recreational...