Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
A small contingent of medical marijuana advocates staged an awareness rally at one of Waco's busiest intersections during afternoon drive-time traffic Thursday.
Motorists honked at about 17 people waving flags and neon signs at the intersection of West Waco Drive and North Valley Mills Drive.
Many held cardboard posters with slogans such as "Patient lives matter" and "Honk for marijuana," in various colors, for several hours, starting about 5:30 p.m.
Clif Deuvall, founder and executive director of the Waco chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, described the rally as a "come and go" event, of which the main objective was raising awareness and dispelling myths about the plant.
"Our job is to educate and throw the stereotype out the window," Deuvall, 61, said.
Deuvall, a Vietnam War veteran, Baylor University graduate and former Waco Independent School District teacher, hopes his presence in the fight helps accomplish that goal.
Deuvall said the issue is also personal to him, since he lost two sons to brain tumors.
"We can help sick people," he said. "If you don't want to help sick children, I can't understand your logic."
Texas is one of 13 states that prohibit the use of medical marijuana.
The Texas Compassionate Use Act passed the Texas Legislature during the recent session and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott. The law went into effect Sept. 1. It legalized oils containing CBD, a noneuphoric component of marijuana known to treat epilepsy and other chronic medical conditions. The state will regulate and distribute the oils to patients whose symptoms have not responded to federally approved medication, according to a story by The Texas Tribune.
Participants at Thursday's rally want to expand medical marijuana usage in Texas.
"There are a lot of people who are suffering," said Stephen Carter, 28, deputy director of the group. "It's really about saving lives."
"I have a bit of an activist streak in me," he said. "When I see something wrong with the world, I have to get out there and do something about it."
Several participants also mentioned high incarceration rates as an impetus for legislative change.
"No one belongs in jail for a plant," said Karen C. Reeves, 54, who describes herself as a cannabis activist.
Michael Barefoot, 57, said he has been a registered nurse for many years and that he joined the effort after seeing children suffering from epilepsy and muscular dystrophy.
"I came into this movement as a skeptic," he said. "I was wrong."
Barefoot said watching children with certain conditions was difficult, but that he thinks medical marijuana can help when determined to be appropriate.
"We do have something in medical cannabis," he said. "The research is beginning to back it, but currently the law says 'no.' "
Barefoot was holding a sign that read, "I'm a patient, not a criminal."
"This is a statement for my patients," he said. "I'm a criminal in this state if I dare do it."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical Marijuana Supporters Hold Waco Rally
Author: Olivia Messer
Contact: Email The Author
Photo Credit: Rod Aydelotte
Website: The Waco Trib - Central Texas News
Motorists honked at about 17 people waving flags and neon signs at the intersection of West Waco Drive and North Valley Mills Drive.
Many held cardboard posters with slogans such as "Patient lives matter" and "Honk for marijuana," in various colors, for several hours, starting about 5:30 p.m.
Clif Deuvall, founder and executive director of the Waco chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, described the rally as a "come and go" event, of which the main objective was raising awareness and dispelling myths about the plant.
"Our job is to educate and throw the stereotype out the window," Deuvall, 61, said.
Deuvall, a Vietnam War veteran, Baylor University graduate and former Waco Independent School District teacher, hopes his presence in the fight helps accomplish that goal.
Deuvall said the issue is also personal to him, since he lost two sons to brain tumors.
"We can help sick people," he said. "If you don't want to help sick children, I can't understand your logic."
Texas is one of 13 states that prohibit the use of medical marijuana.
The Texas Compassionate Use Act passed the Texas Legislature during the recent session and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott. The law went into effect Sept. 1. It legalized oils containing CBD, a noneuphoric component of marijuana known to treat epilepsy and other chronic medical conditions. The state will regulate and distribute the oils to patients whose symptoms have not responded to federally approved medication, according to a story by The Texas Tribune.
Participants at Thursday's rally want to expand medical marijuana usage in Texas.
"There are a lot of people who are suffering," said Stephen Carter, 28, deputy director of the group. "It's really about saving lives."
"I have a bit of an activist streak in me," he said. "When I see something wrong with the world, I have to get out there and do something about it."
Several participants also mentioned high incarceration rates as an impetus for legislative change.
"No one belongs in jail for a plant," said Karen C. Reeves, 54, who describes herself as a cannabis activist.
Michael Barefoot, 57, said he has been a registered nurse for many years and that he joined the effort after seeing children suffering from epilepsy and muscular dystrophy.
"I came into this movement as a skeptic," he said. "I was wrong."
Barefoot said watching children with certain conditions was difficult, but that he thinks medical marijuana can help when determined to be appropriate.
"We do have something in medical cannabis," he said. "The research is beginning to back it, but currently the law says 'no.' "
Barefoot was holding a sign that read, "I'm a patient, not a criminal."
"This is a statement for my patients," he said. "I'm a criminal in this state if I dare do it."
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical Marijuana Supporters Hold Waco Rally
Author: Olivia Messer
Contact: Email The Author
Photo Credit: Rod Aydelotte
Website: The Waco Trib - Central Texas News
