Rhode Islanders: Will you help me get legal access to my medicine?

My name is Bobby Ebert. I may look fine on the outside, but inside I am often burning in pain. The daily nerve pains I live with are called AIDS neuropathy, for which there is no FDA- approved treatment. Luckily, the state legislature passed and overwhelmingly renewed a law so I can legally use a medicine that does work, and that doesn't leave me in a drugged fog: medical marijuana. For that, I am extremely grateful.

But there's still one problem: The only access the medical marijuana law provides is home cultivation. Our tireless champions, Rep. Thomas Slater and Sen. Rhoda Perry, are now circulating a bill to allow a nonprofit compassion center to provide medical marijuana to Rhode Island's patients. Would you ask your state legislators to add their name to these new bills that would allow legal, regulated access to medical marijuana?

Some patients are able to grow their own medicine or have loved ones who are happy to do so. But some of us have struggled to get the medicine our health depends on. Trying to acquire my medicine after I got my medical marijuana card, I was mugged and beaten up buying my medicine on the streets. Since then, I've had trouble finding a reliable caregiver to grow my medicine for me.

Growing medicine takes a lot of skill and time. If a backyard tomato plant dies or doesn't produce much, you can always buy food at the supermarket. Medical marijuana patients don't have that option: They have to risk the streets or suffer without their painkiller.

Plus, marijuana doesn't grow immediately, and patients suffer while they wait for months, hoping seeds will turn into healthy female plants that produce desperately needed medicine. Compassion centers would be able to immediately give patients the medicine we need.

For the next day or two, Slater and Perry will be asking colleagues to sign on to the bill. So please don't forget to ask your legislators to sign on to the bill.

Thank you very much for listening to me and for all you have done for compassion.

Warmly,

Bobby Ebert