MRSA: Another Way Pot Prohibition Enhances Public Health

Here is another not so healthy consequence of drug prohibition: The Montreal Gazette reports that Marc "Prince of Pot" Emery, the Canadian cannabis activist who is serving a five-year sentence in a U.S. prison for selling marijuana seeds online from a business in Vancouver, has been infected by methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA):

Jodie Emery [his wife] said he was diagnosed earlier this year after a boil above his buttock tested positive for the infection.

While his initial outbreak has been treated, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus is a staph bacterium that can cause infections that are resistant to most antibiotics.

MRSA is highly contagious and has become a widespread problem in prisons and hospitals, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control website….

While Emery is trying to stay safe by washing his hands frequently and avoiding injuries, Jodie worries the MRSA could lead to fatal complications.

"Marc suffering this sort of dangerous infection after being extradited and imprisoned in the U.S.—after harming nobody at all—proves the insanity of war on marijuana," Jodie said.

"Peaceful, non-violent people like Marc are being put in harm's way because of prohibition."

MRSA makes surgery risky and can create severe infections in open wounds. One of Emery's former cellmates died of post-surgical complications involving an infection, Jodie said.

[Thanks to CK for the tip.]