Advice for other advocates from a canna-mom in Colorado.

My son Coltyn’s disease, Crohn’s, a form of Irritable Bowel Disease, wasn’t important enough in Illinois to become part of the whole picture, as cannabis laws go. His disease was passed over, NOT to be included in the list of qualifying illnesses.

Is that fair? Is Coltyn’s life not important enough to have access to something that has put him in complete remission? As his Mom, I say it is. Just like you say your child is important.

But lets go a little further…

What about adults suffering form debilitating illnesses? Veterans from PTSD, your grandmother’s Alzheimers, your dad’s cancer, your best friend’s Fibromyalgia.  Are they not important to YOU?  YES, they are!

That is why we need to come together as a united front.  To show that we all need access to cannabis, in so many different ways, for so many different reasons.

It is imperative in this journey we are on to not only stand up for your child and tell their story, but to stand up for cannabis as a whole.  To allow everyone access, not just one.  Look around at your friends and family.  If you support only one cannabinoid, only one illness or condition, only one strain, only one person, you leave someone out. And that is not what this is about.

It’s about showing the world that curing cancer is possible, that chronic pain can cease, that seizures don’t have to take over a person’s life, that IBD doesn’t have to debilitate, that a mind can be unlocked from autism, and our Veterans coming home from war can find peace.  This isn’t about you and your needs, this is about the whole community, the whole plant.

So when you talk to your legislators, tell your story with all your heart. But remember that what is best for you, isn’t necessarily best for me, or Joey, or Ashley. Remember that your grandmother may need cannabis, or your dad or your best friend may need cannabis someday, too.  No one should be left out.

We are here together. We appreciate the opportunity to be in Colorado, many of us cannabis refugees, thankful for the people of Colorado who have welcomed the cannabis community with open arms and bred new hope into our lives.

Wendy Turner and her family came to Colorado to find relief for her son Coltyn’s Crohn’s Disease. A year ago, he was in a wheelchair, unable to function, near death. Today, thanks to medical marijuana (cannabis), Coltyn is in complete remission with a clear colon. He climbs mountains, snowboards and shovels snow just like any other normal kid, thanks to the healing power of cannabis.

Categories: Advocacy, Children, Teens & Youth, Family & Relationships, Patients

Tags: cannabis, coltyn turner, crohn's disease, ibd, ibs, irritable bowel syndrome, kids, marijuana, medical marijuana, patients, research, wendy turner