[420 Girl]

Beth Fratarcangelo, a cancer survivor, says smoking marijuana helped her find peace of mind while battling breast cancer.

"From day one on I said I'm not going to be sick, I'm not going to be throwing up and one or two small hits basically quells the nausea," Fratarcangelo said.

Marijuana's ability to quell symptoms such as nausea is the primary reason Virginia law changed in 1979 allowing cancer patients, as well as those with glaucoma, to use marijuana for treatment. Thirty years later a new bill could possibly lead to broader access to marijuana for virginians with other illnesses.

"It's wonderful for multiple sclerosis, really good for arthritis, it helps with the achy pain. It's just ridiculous for people to suffer when they have something that could take care of it. They don't have to become stoners," Fratarcangelo said.

Republican Delegate Harvey Morgan is sponsoring new medical marijuana legislation.

"Marijuana has positively affected hundreds of patients," Morgan explained.

The Gloucester pharmacist is also proposing another bill that would make simple possession of pot a civil violation, potentially saving the Commonwealth more than $75 million a year in policing and prosecuting costs.

"This bill is a rational approach to drug policy that also happens to be fiscally responsible," Morgan added.

Morgan says he would be pleasantly surprised if the bills pass since critics have traditionally argued that marijuana leads to the use of harder drugs and potentially crime. Virginia's House Courts of Justice Committee will hold a hearing on the marijuana bills Wednesday.

http://www.420magazine.com/forums/in...r-illness.html