Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Charleston – Janice Bostic stood Wednesday morning on the West Virginia State Capitol steps alongside her daughter, her son, her sister and a family caregiver.
Bostic, of Victor in Fayette County, held a neon yellow sign that read, "Give my daughter a chance," with a cannabis leaf as a placeholder for the "a" in chance.
Her 15-year-old daughter, Evelyn, bundled in a blue hooded sweatshirt, was seated in her wheelchair with a sign attached to the headrest that said, "Help me kick epilepsy's butt!"
Evelyn, who also has an undiagnosed genetic disorder, can suffer anywhere between one to 300 seizures per day.
"She's at high risk for SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy)," Bostic shared. "Because she has seizures when she sleeps, she has to use an anti-suffocation pillow and monitoring device."
Bostic and her family, along with a couple hundred others, gathered on the Capitol steps to share their support of legalizing marijuana. Most of the support at Wednesday's gathering was for medical uses of the drug, which is currently a Schedule I Controlled Substance, the same as heroin.
Bostic said she agrees with the purpose of the Food and Drug Administration and drug scheduling, but she disagrees with the classification of marijuana.
"As a parent, I should be able to help my kids and my family without interference by bureaucracy and Big Pharma."
Like many other parents of children with epilepsy, Bostic has read about the medical benefits of a strain of cannabis called Charlotte's Web, which helped a girl named Charlotte Figi, who also suffered from multiple seizures per day. The particular cannabis strain is high in cannabidiol (CBD), a compound with no psychoactive properties.
If Bostic needed cannabis herself, she said she might consider purchasing it on the street to self medicate. But because it's for her 15-year-old daughter, she is reluctant.
"Giving it to my kid, that's a big risk. They might take her from home."
Also, if Bostic purchased marijuana locally, she wouldn't know the chemical makeup of the drug – whether it was high or low in CBD.
Evelyn's condition necessitates visits to John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md., once every six months. If her seizures come more frequently, the family takes the trip once every three months.
Bostic said she would love to see the drug be available for use here in her home state, which may alleviate her daughter's suffering and some of their financial burden. The drug could also possibly benefit her 37-year-old sister, Mindy, who suffers from cerebral palsy.
Paige Pendell, who is originally from Washington, acts as a caregiver for both Mindy and Evelyn.
While in Washington, where marijuana is legal for medical and recreational purposes, Pendell said she was able to provide a lot more relief for her clients who had a cannabis prescription.
"It's sad it's handled so differently here," she said. "It's not fair for the government to tell us we can't use a plant."
Other signs at the rally encouraged legislators to consider how marijuana legalization would benefit the economy. A few said, "Joints = Jobs." One read, "Grow Our Wild and Wonderful Economy."
A 32-year-old Charleston woman's sign said, "Let's be blunt: It's time to legalize weed."
Danielle Conard said she believes marijuana legalization is what the state needs as it faces a $500 million deficit.
"West Virginia is all about coal, but those jobs may not happen," she said. Instead, she said those workers could turn toward dispensary jobs or other jobs in the marijuana industry if the drug is legalized. She also pointed to the surge in tourism experienced in Colorado.
"Why not here? We have the perfect state for it."
Conard said she hopes the state lawmakers will hear their pleas: "It's what we want and need."
The Bostic family, Conard and others who'd been rallying near the highway climbed the steps just after 10 a.m. to a podium where Danny Bragg took the mic.
Bragg, founder of WV Green is the New Black, shared with the audience his research on the loss of coal jobs and the opioid addiction crisis in the state. He said all his research kept pointing him in the same direction: legalizing marijuana.
"Medical cannabis is a real possibility from our legislature," Bragg said. "Before we can get to recreational, creating the infrastructure for medical is the most important thing right now."
He urged the crowd to reach out to their legislators to show their support of medical marijuana.
Beth Walker, whose 35-year-old husband Cris recently passed away due to liver cancer, said she hopes lawmakers will listen to her story. She and Cris traveled 2,600 miles, from Fayette County to Oregon, to purchase CBD and THC (tetrahyrdocannabinol) pills to alleviate his pain and improve his appetite in his final days.
"He was supposed to be here with me," she said through tears.
She said the trip cost them nearly $6,000, not including the cost of the roughly $10,000 they spent on the medication.
"Why not here? We really need this here," Walker urged.
A medical marijuana bill, HB-2071, was introduced Wednesday in the House of Delegates. The bill, sponsored by Delegate Mick Bates, D-Raleigh, has been referred to the Committee on Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse. It will then go to Health and Human Resources, then Judiciary.
Delegate Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, shared his confidence with the crowd at the rally that the bill will pass this year.
"This plant can alleviate a lot of suffering in this state," Pushkin said.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Marijuana Legalization Rally Held At West Virginia State Capitol
Author: Wendy Holdren
Contact: 304-327-2800
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Bostic, of Victor in Fayette County, held a neon yellow sign that read, "Give my daughter a chance," with a cannabis leaf as a placeholder for the "a" in chance.
Her 15-year-old daughter, Evelyn, bundled in a blue hooded sweatshirt, was seated in her wheelchair with a sign attached to the headrest that said, "Help me kick epilepsy's butt!"
Evelyn, who also has an undiagnosed genetic disorder, can suffer anywhere between one to 300 seizures per day.
"She's at high risk for SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy)," Bostic shared. "Because she has seizures when she sleeps, she has to use an anti-suffocation pillow and monitoring device."
Bostic and her family, along with a couple hundred others, gathered on the Capitol steps to share their support of legalizing marijuana. Most of the support at Wednesday's gathering was for medical uses of the drug, which is currently a Schedule I Controlled Substance, the same as heroin.
Bostic said she agrees with the purpose of the Food and Drug Administration and drug scheduling, but she disagrees with the classification of marijuana.
"As a parent, I should be able to help my kids and my family without interference by bureaucracy and Big Pharma."
Like many other parents of children with epilepsy, Bostic has read about the medical benefits of a strain of cannabis called Charlotte's Web, which helped a girl named Charlotte Figi, who also suffered from multiple seizures per day. The particular cannabis strain is high in cannabidiol (CBD), a compound with no psychoactive properties.
If Bostic needed cannabis herself, she said she might consider purchasing it on the street to self medicate. But because it's for her 15-year-old daughter, she is reluctant.
"Giving it to my kid, that's a big risk. They might take her from home."
Also, if Bostic purchased marijuana locally, she wouldn't know the chemical makeup of the drug – whether it was high or low in CBD.
Evelyn's condition necessitates visits to John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md., once every six months. If her seizures come more frequently, the family takes the trip once every three months.
Bostic said she would love to see the drug be available for use here in her home state, which may alleviate her daughter's suffering and some of their financial burden. The drug could also possibly benefit her 37-year-old sister, Mindy, who suffers from cerebral palsy.
Paige Pendell, who is originally from Washington, acts as a caregiver for both Mindy and Evelyn.
While in Washington, where marijuana is legal for medical and recreational purposes, Pendell said she was able to provide a lot more relief for her clients who had a cannabis prescription.
"It's sad it's handled so differently here," she said. "It's not fair for the government to tell us we can't use a plant."
Other signs at the rally encouraged legislators to consider how marijuana legalization would benefit the economy. A few said, "Joints = Jobs." One read, "Grow Our Wild and Wonderful Economy."
A 32-year-old Charleston woman's sign said, "Let's be blunt: It's time to legalize weed."
Danielle Conard said she believes marijuana legalization is what the state needs as it faces a $500 million deficit.
"West Virginia is all about coal, but those jobs may not happen," she said. Instead, she said those workers could turn toward dispensary jobs or other jobs in the marijuana industry if the drug is legalized. She also pointed to the surge in tourism experienced in Colorado.
"Why not here? We have the perfect state for it."
Conard said she hopes the state lawmakers will hear their pleas: "It's what we want and need."
The Bostic family, Conard and others who'd been rallying near the highway climbed the steps just after 10 a.m. to a podium where Danny Bragg took the mic.
Bragg, founder of WV Green is the New Black, shared with the audience his research on the loss of coal jobs and the opioid addiction crisis in the state. He said all his research kept pointing him in the same direction: legalizing marijuana.
"Medical cannabis is a real possibility from our legislature," Bragg said. "Before we can get to recreational, creating the infrastructure for medical is the most important thing right now."
He urged the crowd to reach out to their legislators to show their support of medical marijuana.
Beth Walker, whose 35-year-old husband Cris recently passed away due to liver cancer, said she hopes lawmakers will listen to her story. She and Cris traveled 2,600 miles, from Fayette County to Oregon, to purchase CBD and THC (tetrahyrdocannabinol) pills to alleviate his pain and improve his appetite in his final days.
"He was supposed to be here with me," she said through tears.
She said the trip cost them nearly $6,000, not including the cost of the roughly $10,000 they spent on the medication.
"Why not here? We really need this here," Walker urged.
A medical marijuana bill, HB-2071, was introduced Wednesday in the House of Delegates. The bill, sponsored by Delegate Mick Bates, D-Raleigh, has been referred to the Committee on Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse. It will then go to Health and Human Resources, then Judiciary.
Delegate Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, shared his confidence with the crowd at the rally that the bill will pass this year.
"This plant can alleviate a lot of suffering in this state," Pushkin said.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Marijuana Legalization Rally Held At West Virginia State Capitol
Author: Wendy Holdren
Contact: 304-327-2800
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Bluefield Daily Telegraph