# Medical cannabis, epilepsy, nationality, and more **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 24, 2016, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-cannabis-epilepsy-nationality-and-more/746954 "2016-02-24T05:27:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-cannabis-epilepsy-nationality-and-more/746954/21 "2016-02-25T04:12:33Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Umm, something just occurred to me. When I was in high school, a friend of mine who was half-Japanese got really sick when he tried pot for the first time, and at the emergency room, we got told the sometimes people of Asian descent can be allergic to pot. > > Now, coming from a SDMB post, that is anecdotal, but it might be worth researching. Yes, this one thing that happened to this one guy you know should determine public policy for everybody. Thanks for playing. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-cannabis-epilepsy-nationality-and-more/746954/22 "2016-02-25T13:39:05Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Yes, this one thing that happened to this one guy you know should determine public policy for everybody. Thanks for playing. I agree that one person’s experience is generally a dubious basis for public policy, but you might want to read the post by **RivkahChaya** another time and see if your interpretation changes. I don’t think that’s what she said. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-cannabis-epilepsy-nationality-and-more/746954/23 "2016-02-25T14:53:13Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > I agree that one person’s experience is generally a dubious basis for public policy, but you might want to read the post by **RivkahChaya** another time and see if your interpretation changes. I don’t think that’s what she said. It’s actually pretty much the opposite of what I said, but perhaps I was too subtle. You understood though, and that’s all that matters in this particular case. Did the link for the ketogenic diet work for you? it occurred to me later that whatever OS or server you have in another country might not be able to use just any hyperlink I created. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-cannabis-epilepsy-nationality-and-more/746954/24 "2016-02-25T15:31:57Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > Hi everyone. I’m sure you’ve never heard me mention here that although I am American, I live in Indonesia. Did I mention that I live in Indonesia? 🙂 Why do all you geographically named Dopers try to confuse us so? Why not JakartaJanet or something? (Seriously, though: Somehow I had missed it.) ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-cannabis-epilepsy-nationality-and-more/746954/25 "2016-02-25T15:49:49Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Why do all you geographically named Dopers try to confuse us so? Why not JakartaJanet or something? > > (Seriously, though: Somehow I had missed it.) Are you even a human? Or are you the letter T? And a large T at that. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-cannabis-epilepsy-nationality-and-more/746954/26 "2016-02-25T17:32:29Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Are you even a human? Or are you the letter T? And a large T at that. No, he just lives [here](http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/1/18154/612992-titans_20tower.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2016, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-cannabis-epilepsy-nationality-and-more/746954/27 "2016-02-26T23:26:20Z")
Ignoring all other factors (access to Colorado, effectiveness, money and so on): the biggest stumbling block in my mind is that it is most likely illegal as hell in Indonesia. If she goes to Colorado or wherever and obtains the stuff, is she planning on staying there or returning to Indonesia? I don’t know how hard they enforce the drug laws there but I would NOT want to risk being jailed there for drug smuggling. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2016, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-cannabis-epilepsy-nationality-and-more/746954/28 "2016-02-27T05:27:34Z")
\*\* CairoCarol\*\*, it’s wonderful of you to want to help, but I wonder if you might have gotten too focused in one direction. If your friend is able to set up a trip to the US or Australia, it seems to me that the best use of her time would be to see a neurologist specializing in pediatric epilepsy, to get the sort of high-level legitimate medical care that you say is lacking where she lives. Certainly, if there is time, she can explore alternatives, but I wouldn’t make that the focus of the visit. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2016, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-cannabis-epilepsy-nationality-and-more/746954/29 "2016-02-28T05:08:20Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Did the link for the ketogenic diet work for you? it occurred to me later that whatever OS or server you have in another country might not be able to use just any hyperlink I created. Actually I was in the US when I started the thread, and didn’t give it a second thought. But I’m home in Jakarta now, so I clicked again - yup, it works fine! ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2016, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-cannabis-epilepsy-nationality-and-more/746954/30 "2016-02-28T05:14:39Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Why do all you geographically named Dopers try to confuse us so? Why not JakartaJanet or something? > > (Seriously, though: Somehow I had missed it.) I was living in Egypt when I joined the Straight Dope many years ago. It seemed like a reasonable choice at the time, especially as I wasn’t thinking “ooh, I need a name for the ages, something that will summarize the essence of my soul for forever.” I was just living in the moment. Anyway, what would be the point of changing my name to JakartaJanet? I’d just have to change it again next time I move somewhere. (There was one poster - Paul in Qatar or Paul in Saudi at one point, IIRC - who changed his username with his location, but that seems to have just as much potential for confusion, so I personally wouldn’t bother. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-cannabis-epilepsy-nationality-and-more/746954.md?page=1)