by Shani K. Collins, Your Black World
Former syndicated talk show host Montel Williams was found carrying a marijuana pipe through a Milwaukee airport in January. In 1999, Williams publicly announced that he has multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease that scars the nerve fibers in the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves, which are the basic components of the central nervous system (CNS).
Since his MS diagnosis, Williams launched the Montel Williams MS Foundation, has become a health expert, and an advocate for the use of medical marijuana. Williams states: “I started The Montel Williams MS Foundation, and every dollar raised goes to research dedicated toward a cure for MS. I’ve also allied myself with Spotlight Health to promote widespread awareness of this dreadful disease because early diagnosis and treatment can help arrest suffering and loss of function.”
On the foundation’s website, Rob Kimpa, Executive Director of the Marijuana Policy Project commends Williams for his advocacy about the use of medical marijuana, and claims he is “saving lives.” “Williams has spoken to congressional staffers, attended conferences and conventions, and used his public platform as an advocate for the use medical marijuana,” Kimpa adds.
Kimpa also said: “There’s a wide body of research (including clinical trials that have been approved by the FDA) that indicates marijuana is medically beneficial for patients suffering from AIDS, cancer, chronic pain, and MS. In some instances, marijuana allows patients who have an incurable illness to function better — or even function at all. In other instances, marijuana enables a patient to survive treatment, such as chemotherapy for cancer, such that they ultimately end up living the life of a normal, healthy person again.”
Speaking to the airport incident, Williams said the pipe is a “utensil for taking his medicine, and he is glad that airport security caught it.” He adds the matter was thrown out of court when officials found no marijuana residue on the pipe. For more information on the Montel Williams MS Foundation visit: www.montelms.org
