TOPEKA — Around nine years ago, Lenexa resident Juanita Ramos slipped off a log while on a hike, and when she woke up the next day, the only thing she could move were her eyes.
While she was paralyzed for three months, Ramos used raw cannabis in juice form to get by.
Ramos said she supports legalizing marijuana for cases of extreme pain. She attended a Wednesday legislative committee hearing on legalizing medical marijuana to advocate for veterans, those in chronic pain and others who needed to use cannabis medication.
She also mentioned her four grandchildren who live in Delaware and use cannabis tinctures to help manage autism. Ramos said everyone needed to show the Legislature the importance of the legislation.
“It’s up to us to speak. Everybody in this room needs to speak,” Ramos said.
Todd Scattini, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, who has given testimony to the committee several times, said legalizing marijuana would save the lives of Kansas veterans. Scattini is the CEO of Harvest 360, a cannabis company, and has been involved in several pushes to legalize marijuana in other states. Scattini said he wanted Kansas veterans to have the same access as those in Missouri.
“When I cross this blue bridge that goes from Platte County into Leavenworth, Kansas, I immediately turn into a criminal, and all of my friends who decided to retire and stay in Kansas do not have access to the same level of safe effective medicine that I do,” Scattini said.
Cornell…
