Restore Montana’s medical marijuana program, vote yes on I-182

I remember having to help him out of bed in the mornings because his joints were so stiff that even small movements caused him great pain. I remember how he’d brace himself before he sneezed because doing so always caused sharp pain in the joints in his chest. I remember how much it hurt his hips just to go up and down some stairs. I remember him turning his whole body when he’d speak to me rather than turn his head because chronic inflammation was affecting his flexibility and that simple movement caused pain in his neck. And on a couple terrible occasions, I remember him literally crawling on his hands and knees in our home because the pain was too great to walk.

For more than 15 years I watched helplessly as someone I love went through this. You’d think I was describing the physical ailments of an old man. Only this man is my 37-year-old husband. And the pain and inflammation he suffers from are the realities of ankylosing spondylitis.

Lucky for us, there’s been a twist and hopefully a happy ending to this story. For the past two years my husband has taken cannabis oil to combat the inflammation that wreaks havoc on his body and spirit. The results have been nothing short of miraculous. I’ve celebrated with him the simple joys of a painfree life. Walking up and down the stairs in our home with ease, sneezing without wincing in pain, turning his head to address someone instead of his whole body… playing on the floor with our children.

He no longer has to take 8 or more anti-inflammatory pills every day to combat symptoms. He gets his relief from a plant. A plant that our federal government vilifies on one hand while simultaneously holding patents on its “curative properties” on the other. Montana, like many other states, rebuked this double standard by voting in a medical marijuana program.

Since our legislature repealed the program, my husband and thousands of other Montanans who utilize medical marijuana have had limited or no access to a medicine that works for them.

What right does our government have keeping medicinal plants from its citizens? What right does anyone have for that matter to keep another from making themselves well?

I am proud to say that our newspaper endorses Initiative 182. If approved by Montana voters this initiative will restore Montana’s medical marijuana program allowing responsible, regulated use by registered patients. Patients who, like my husband, simply want improved quality of life and a return to health.

Let’s let them know we want that for them too.

Vote yes on I-182.