I am a Medical Cannabis Patient & Advocate. In 2006, I began collecting Testimonies from patients while crossing the country, from Charleston, South Carolina to San Francisco, California, with a group called Journey for Justice 7.
My work has continued from my home state of Missouri as we struggle to free ourselvers legislatively from Cannabis prohibition, in our state & our nation. The many videos I display here are of actual Medical Cannabis patients, caregivers, family, & physicians. If you are a patient or advocate, consider being a part of this tapestry of heroism. The time is now for America to hear from you. My work with Missouri's legislation continues. Our current offering and most promising is Missouri's HB277.

I live in St. Louis, but this has not always been my home. I was born and raised in Herculaneum, Missouri. The Doe Run Lead Smelting plant, its smoke stack and constant noxious discharge were an ever-present reminder of the toxic chemicals that my friends, family, and of course, myself, were ingesting every hour of every day. It was there in Herculaneum, while remodeling our home that I was exposed to very high levels of lead, cadmium, and arsenic. Soon after I became very ill.
After an exhaustive line of expensive medical tests at the hands of the best physicians St. Louis had to offer, my condition was labeled "Fibromyalgia with severe migraines". Hardly a suitable description for the agony I suffered daily. Most weeks, I experienced two to three moderate to severe migraines a week. Each migraine was like a mini seizure, with a little more of my short and long term memory disappearing with each episode.
Pharmaceuticals did little to control the headaches. Consequently, my migraine specialist regularly injected me with experimental medications, often with horrific results. My stomach was constantly upset; from the illness and the continually changing regiments of prescription drugs. The pain, weakness, and confusion made it impossible for me to work. I had to leave my certified welder and pipefitter position with Ameren and close the much needed food pantry my wife and I ran for many years. Later, we lost our cars, our home, and eventually our marriage. In 2001, my eldest daughter passed away from the illness that has affected my whole family, including my two surviving children, my now, ex-wife, and just about everyone we knew there, in our home town of Herculaneum.
My only reprieve came when I read an obscure story about a Fibromyalgia sufferer benefiting from Cannabis. I obtained some from a friend and after only three weeks, my migraines had reduced to only two or three minor to moderate headaches a month. In the coming months, the migraines continued to reduce in intensity, the stomach and connective tissue pain eased, and my memory began to return.

Happy endings? Could have been. If only my medication was legal in our state. As it stands right now, I can easily and legally obtain the most toxic and habit forms narcotics available, but the safest, most effective medication for me could land me in prison for a long time.
The chronically ill want to be heard. We're weary from the senseless persecution that we have been forced to endure. We know that without an end to Prohibition, someday we will all be forced to face our overcrowded and unjust legal system. That's why so many of us are stepping out of the shadows to express our inalienable right to choose the medication that we, and our physicians know is best for us. To read and view more firsthand stories of the chronically ill and their successful treatment with cannabis, please visit my website at www.cannabispatient.net.