Neb: Mother Advocates For Expanded Medical Marijuana Use, Sen Crawford Not Convinced

Robert Celt

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The latest legislative session is in full swing at the state capitol and senators are addressing some hot-button topics including expanding access to medical marijuana.

Shelley Gillen and her family met with their State Senator Sue Crawford in the capitol rotunda on Thursday. "We're just doing it as concerned parents who are looking for relief for their children," she said. Gillen's 13-year-old son, Will, suffers severe epileptic seizures. His doctors have tried every federally-approved drug to treat him, but nothing has worked.

"We're now faced with the option of brain surgery," Gillen said. "That's also not a guarantee. That's not something we want to put him through, the physical trauma, at this time."

So Gillen wants the legislature to pass LB-643, which would allow broader access to medical marijuana treatment for epileptic patients like her son. She gathered more than 400 signatures from other medical marijuana supporters in her district and presented the petition to Senator Crawford on Thursday.

Crawford currently opposes the bill and said the petition didn't persuade her to change her vote.

"I worked with the family for two years to bring non-psychoactive cannabis to our state in a way that's constitutional and that's compliant so that families can work with their health care providers," Senator Crawford told WOWT 6 News.

Last year, Crawford introduced and helped pass a different bill that created a pilot program for medical marijuana oil. The program is limited to a specific group of patients. Gillen worries her son and other children with similar conditions won't get the help they need.

"It's very frustrating," she said. "It's very frustrating to know that children in another state can try this but children here can't."

Medical marijuana wasn't the only hot topic at the capitol today. The judiciary committee held a series of hearings about gun legislation, which addressed issues like concealed weapons, seizing firearms from those disqualified from owning them, and law enforcement auctioning off guns they no longer need as evidence. None of these bills have been decided yet, but there are 23 days left in the legislative session.

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News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Neb: Mother Advocates For Expanded Medical Marijuana Use, Sen Crawford Not Convinced
Author: Brandon Scott
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Website: 6News
 
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