Sick People, Help these State Legislators Help You!

To persuade the rest of the supermajority to back medical marijuana, two Republicans need your help

Emily Siner at WPLN is talking about how state Sen. Steve Dickerson and state Rep. Jeremy Faison are looking for people willing to talk to the state legislature about the benefits of medical marijuana.

Dickerson and Rep. Jeremy Faison, R-Cosby, hope to convince fellow Republicans by highlighting medical marijuana as an alternative to addictive opioids.

But they say the real persuasion will happen through individuals telling lawmakers their stories. At a press conference Wednesday, Faison pointed to a 2-year-old girl with epilepsy whose parents convinced him to support the cause.

"We have an uphill battle with a lot of our colleagues," he said. "They have believed something their whole life, and it's very difficult to get out of your comfort zone."

I know the idea of standing in front of lawmakers and admitting to being a lawbreaker isn’t exactly appealing. I also know that a lot of people who might benefit from medical marijuana, because they don’t think of themselves as potential criminals, haven’t considered how it might help them.

But now is the time to consider it. Are you nauseous from cancer treatments? Do you pop a Xanax every once in a while? Have you worked through every pharmaceutical cocktail for your Parkinson’s or MS? Would you like something else to try?

Read more: http://www.nashvillescene.com/news/pith-in-the-wind/article/20847101/sick-people-help-these-state-legislators-help-you