Colorado Woman Speaks of Benefits of Medical Marijuana
By: Marci Manley, KARK 4 News
Updated: November 1, 2012
Dispensaries offering medical marijuana in different forms, like edible puppy chow, have cropped up all over Colorado.
"I've tried all different kinds of therapies and drugs."
After dealing with chronic pain from fibromyalgia for a quarter of a century, Terri Robnett has finally found the closest thing to a cure yet.
"I'm working and function and without pain," she says. "I never could have done that before without cannabis, I couldn't. I enjoy life"
But she has to be discreet about how and when she uses.
"When you tell people you use medical marijuana there's always this kind of look, like 'Do you really or are you just using it to get high?'"
Of the roughly 100,000 people on Colorado's medical marijuana registry, the average patient age is 41 and severe pain is the most common reason for a red card certification.
"Sure, there are people who might not be legitimate, but I think the vast majority are," she says.
Terri hopes eventually the stoner stereotype will cease to be an issue.
"I can have a life now," she says. "I'm not walking around stoned or lethargic."
And because she recalls what her days were like before she could rely on cannabis, she's stepping out from the smoke shrouded shadows and encouraging Arkansans to look at the big picture beyond pot.
"It makes me sad to think of that there are people in Arkansas, you kow they're all over and they need this -- they need this help," she says.
Patients like Terri often say they opt for edibles because they can be more discreet.
Colorado is also working toward legalizing all marijuana, which could make a difference on how open people can be about their treatment options.
"I've tried all different kinds of therapies and drugs."
After dealing with chronic pain from fibromyalgia for a quarter of a century, Terri Robnett has finally found the closest thing to a cure yet.
"I'm working and function and without pain," she says. "I never could have done that before without cannabis, I couldn't. I enjoy life"
But she has to be discreet about how and when she uses.
"When you tell people you use medical marijuana there's always this kind of look, like 'Do you really or are you just using it to get high?'"
Of the roughly 100,000 people on Colorado's medical marijuana registry, the average patient age is 41 and severe pain is the most common reason for a red card certification.
"Sure, there are people who might not be legitimate, but I think the vast majority are," she says.
Terri hopes eventually the stoner stereotype will cease to be an issue.
"I can have a life now," she says. "I'm not walking around stoned or lethargic."
And because she recalls what her days were like before she could rely on cannabis, she's stepping out from the smoke shrouded shadows and encouraging Arkansans to look at the big picture beyond pot.
"It makes me sad to think of that there are people in Arkansas, you kow they're all over and they need this -- they need this help," she says.
Patients like Terri often say they opt for edibles because they can be more discreet.
Colorado is also working toward legalizing all marijuana, which could make a difference on how open people can be about their treatment options.
