Marijuana activist dies following explosion

Ottawa Citizen ^ | November 1, 2003 | James Gordon

[Loyalist]

CREDIT: Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press

Don Appleby died of his injuries suffered in an Oct. 12 explosion while he was trying to make a concentrated oil using marijuana and butane.

Don Appleby's fight against the aids virus that was sapping him was made more difficult by a tragic paradox. While the Ottawa man was one of the few Canadians who could legally smoke marijuana for medicinal purposes, he could rarely afford it due to his minuscule disability pension.

In the end, he was killed in the struggle to produce the drug that was helping him survive.

On Oct. 12, Mr. Appleby was in the bathroom of his Blake Boulevard apartment, trying a dangerous method to get some use out of the non-smokable parts of his marijuana plants.

By injecting butane into a plastic container with the plant in it, he hoped to make a concentrated oil he could use. Friends suspect he then tried to light a joint, igniting an explosion that blew the bathroom door off its hinges.

Residents of the apartment above his heard the explosion, and rushed him to the Ottawa Hospital's General campus. It's where he remained in intensive care since the incident, and where he died Thursday morning.

Ron Whelan was Mr. Appleby's close friend, and was living under the same circumstances. He said yesterday that Mr. Appleby never should have died the way he did.

Both 44, they received about $900 a month on disability, not nearly enough to pay for both marijuana and food. While the government would pay for the $1,500-$2,000 of aids medication Mr. Appleby needed, they wouldn't pick up the cost of the marijuana. Nausea was a side-effect of the pills, and without the drug, he couldn't keep them down.

Forced to buy marijuana himself and pay rent, his friends say Mr. Appleby was reduced to scrounging through dumpsters to find the food he could no longer afford. He would go searching behind restaurants late at night so nobody would see him. At the same time, he wasn't shy about asking people with marijuana gardens to help him.

"You do what you have to do to survive, whether it's beg, borrow or steal," Mr. Whelan said. If one had a bag of dry macaroni from the food bank, he would often go to the other's place to share.

Mr. Appleby decided to try and save some money by growing his own marijuana, and after two failed gardens, things were starting to work out for him. Still, the cost to grow was still high. With no other source of medicine, he resorted to the butane method. He never recovered from the burns that covered 75 per cent of his body and his scorched lungs.

Mr. Whelan said although Mr. Appleby experienced difficult times in the past, he really blossomed after meeting people similar to him. He loved participating in marijuana rallies, and helping others.

"The world needs more people like Donny," he said. "He was there for the underdog, and it's a terrible loss for everyone who knew him."

Mr. Whelan said he doesn't blame the government for what happened to his friend, but said it should take more responsibility and provide for people like him.

© Copyright 2003 The Ottawa Citizen

[Ches]

One needs not be a bleeding heart liberal to put yourself in someone else's shoes for a moment. It might in fact be a Christian thing to do. Didn't Christ consort with beggars and prositutes?

[FITZ]

In a way I do feel sorry for drug addicts ---- even when they don't burn from an explosion they made. And I do believe much drug use is from self-medication for physical pain, emotional pain or some other kind of pain.

[Ches]

Believe me I understand your disgust.

IMHO, the costs to society are huge and the government reaction confirms that big government sucks. I have moments, days and weeks where I can rant and rave about these costs, both financial and to our liberty as well as the next guy. I have been fortunate. I'm neither an addict nor terminally ill and I have to remind myself to be grateful for this on occasion. This story was one of those occasions.

BTW, the article didn't say he was gay. A friend of mine from high school had leukemia and required somewhat regular transfusions and contracted AIDS as a result back in the early 80's and consequently died shortly after.

[pageonetoo]

"Didn't Christ consort with beggars and prositutes? "

Indeed He did. He felt it was His place, not in the temples with all of the phonies...
He fulfilled the Law and the Prophets. He was one of us, one with us, and is our guarantee of eternal life.
He performed miracles. Blind men could see, after he spit in the dirt and rubbed it into the mans eyes.A woman was healed, just by touching His garments... AND HE KNEW IT, immediately.
Of course His first recorded miracle took place at a wedding feast in the city of Cana. There, it is reported, they had drunk all of the wine the hosts had provided. Most were already partying, but after Jesus, Master of the universe, had the servants pour from some water barrels into the wine casks.. the partying continued!
Some guests even reported that the new wine was better than the host had previously provided. This was not the custom, since they usually waited until most guests were drunk, to bring out the inferior rotgut!

Of course, some would say that alcohol is a bad thing. Paul, though, told Timothy to "have a little wine for your stomach"... not grapejuice.

There are no prohibitions on smoking anything in the Scriptures. There is no reference to not getting a little buzz, though there are many references to drunkenness and slovenliness.
.
There are now, though, those among us who think they are better than God!

God does not control our behavior. He allows us to screw up. He doesn't make us take drugs, or participate in any other supposedly anti-social behavior, but He did not say NO. It is man wishing to play God. Control is all about power.

Just look at the Clintoons. Even they may end up in Heaven. But they may be getting their reward here! I prefer eternity, thanks.

We have only a mans actions to judge him (and yes, we are supposed to test the spirit of another person). God knows our heart.

[FITZ]

No --- he might not be gay --- drug use and sharing of needles is another common way for the HIV virus to spread. I have fairly close family members who are alcoholics or recovering alcoholics ---and I know drug addicts ---- I think most of these people are drowning some kind of pain --- but there is something about mixing extreme flammables with anything and then lighting up that brings out the unsympathetic side of us. Almost like a jackass stunt makes us lose a little sympathy for the victim.

[Ches]

Actually, blowing yourself up sounds more like something someone would do on alcohol. Like holding a match to see if your gas tank is full because your gas gauge doesn't work. I think Richard Pryor tried to blow himself up once... which led to the famous question, "Why are black entertainers bursting into flames?" (Whacko Jacko burned in Pepsi commercial about the same time)

[mhking]

Don Appleby died of his injuries suffered in an Oct. 12 explosion while he was trying to make a concentrated oil using marijuana and butane.

"Hold muh beer & puff THIS!"

Just damn.

If you want on the new list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...

[Paulus Invictus]

Triple Darwin alert! The guy has AIDS, he used drugs, and he tried to make marijuana injectable or drinkable using butane to separate "the good stuff.". All of these actions appear to lead one to think he had a death wish.

[Grampa Dave]

This left wing fish wrap has tried to make this maggot infested dope head look like some type of hero. The only thing he has qualified for in life is shown below:

[GreenHornet]

Officials at the ACME Butane Company declined requests for an interview, citing a ongoing product liability lawsuit brought against the company by film star Wile E. Coyote.

[Loyalist]

Users of Canada's government-grown medical marijuana have been complaining about it ever since the first joints were rolled.

It kills pain effectively, but it doesn't give the users a good buzz.

Don Appleby died because he couldn't leave well enough alone.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Ron Whelan was Mr. Appleby's close friend, and was living under the same circumstances. He said yesterday that Mr. Appleby never should have died the way he did.

Hmmm, I guess it's the government's fault. Darn!

[JonathansMommie]

Get a load of this dude.

[jmc813]

WOD Ping

[Conservative til I die]

And the FR drug warriors collectively orgasmed.

[Conservative til I die]

Both 44, they received about $900 a month on disability, not nearly enough to pay for both marijuana and food. While the government would pay for the $1,500-$2,000 of aids medication Mr. Appleby needed

Does anyone pay for anything in Canada?

[Conservative til I die]

I guess that wasn't some dank bud.

[Conservative til I die]

Tell me, do you get aroused hearing of stories like this? Ghoul.

[xrp]

Unlike Republicans and Democrats, Libertarians are much more apt to place responsibility for one's actions on that individual.

Nice try, though, you mental midget.