N.H. may OK medical use of marijuana

Jeannie Herer

By Norma Love
Clayton Holton says his use of opiate painkillers is greatly reduced when he uses marijuana. He suffers from muscular dystrophy and has been in a wheelchair since he was 10.
JIM COLE/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Clayton Holton says his use of opiate painkillers is greatly reduced when he uses marijuana. He suffers from muscular dystrophy and has been in a wheelchair since he was 10.
 
At 27, Clayton Holton of Rochester is 5 feet 11 but weighs only 66 pounds.
Holton suffers from a rare form of muscular dystrophy that causes wasting syndrome and complete muscle loss. He has been in a wheelchair since he was 10. He struggles even to eat.
Six years ago, he ended up in a hospital and then a nursing home where he was given Oxycontin. Then friends helped him visit California, where medical use of marijuana is legal. He started using it for pain relief, and he gained 8 pounds.
Now, when he needs relief, he reaches for marijuana.

‘‘When I have it, I am able to keep my appetite up and take a lot less opiate painkillers than without it,’’ he said.
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