Chicago Now.com posted an article on a mom who is a passionate activist for medicinal marijuana.
Alabama mom advocates cannabis for health
Michelle Benton, a former physician assistant with a knowledge of pharmacy, internal medicine, patient advocacy, medical auditing and billing has the skill to read and interpret medical cannabis research studies from a medical point of view. She comes from a long line of medical professionals, and has been in the medical field for 30 years.
She says her aim is to “change the face of cannabis” by sharing her insight into medical cannabis studies which outline the many benefits the complicated plant can provide to give relief from so many different illnesses and symptoms.
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Providing accurate information
Her mission is to share success stories, and provide accurate information about using medical marijuana. Her wish is that other medical practitioners will participate, and learn about the endocannabinoid system to be able to offer patients an alternative to harmful pharmaceuticals. She believes education is crucial, and that there is no excuse for doctors who claim they know nothing about medical cannabis.
Michelle has several debilitating disorders, and is a single mom with three kids. Two of her kids have special needs, and she has had her fair share of challenges in her life. She was diagnosed with Common Variable Immune Deficiency (CVID), a genetic disorder of low immunoglobulins and antibodies. This makes her highly susceptible to any infection. In short, she has no immune system.
No immune system
Because of not having an immune system Michelle has developed some severe autoimmune disorders for which she has to receive immunoglobulin replacement therapy every 21 days. She also has a high chance of developing lymphatic cancer.
It didn’t take her long to realize the impact of negative side effects of her treatment on her liver and kidneys, and that was when she started looking into medical cannabis. She became convinced it could benefit her, but Alabama has no legal medical marijuana program apart from Leni’s Law. She was forced to go to Colorado and had to go for repeat visits on many occasions to stay on medical cannabis. She says no citizen should be forced to leave home, and drive hundreds of miles in order to obtain life-saving medicine.
Cannabis was demonized
She comes from a home where cannabis was demonized, and she would never have considered trying it. She expected a lot of trail and error to find out what worked for her. It worked fast, and she felt much better, it controlled her symptoms, and improved her liver and kidney function, it improved her immunity, but best of all, she was free of pain.
She has not been able to go to Colorado for a while, and says she feels a huge decline in her health. Medicinal cannabis definitely improved her health, and that is why she is determined to keep the campaigning movement, Maven for Legalization, going. She says she’s doing this not just for herself, but also so that everyone can have safe access to medical cannabis as a medicine.
Maven for Legalization
Maven for Legalization has three administrators, Benton and two others. The organization is all about cannabis as a medicine, rather than a drug for recreational use. It is for people who has found that they can treat their illnesses successfully with medical cannabis, and for anyone looking for information. Medical professionals with experience in the field are asked to participate, as well as doctors looking to educate themselves.
Cannabis for health
Medicinal cannabis for health is no doubt becoming one success story following another, and the benefits cannabis offers are understood better day by day. The stigma attached to cannabis is fast fading, and many, many more people say they find relief in medical cannabis.
