Thursday morning , baring us having rich friends , we were guaranteed a week in jail . That week behind bars combined with a broken heart at the loss of his garden and my nursing career was too much for Gene Halbin .
I must live with that decision every day , without him .
Now I find myself back in the snake pit again . Perhaps we should call this one a Copperhead ’ s nest . The bite of the Copperhead is painful but usually not lethal . This time the snakes have charged me with two misdemeanors instead of a class B felony . Dangerous and painful but hopefully not lethal .
I will never know if we would have kept our heads down if maybe Mr . Hugh Jenkins , the Bates County Prosecuting Attorney , would have agreed to a court summons or not . We can ’ t go back . It is very safe to assume his department , as well as the sheriff ’ s department , got some hate mail the week the Bradley article went around the world . However , my husband paid the price for it . Oh , I went to jail too , but I didn ’ t have diabetes , high blood pressure , vascular disease , glaucoma , and an infected toe . I was a fairly young , naive 59-year-old full of spit and vinegar the first time I went through booking . I am an old 66 now . I really don ’ t want to sit on the Group W bench again .
The kids and their attorney , now my Kansas attorney , have advised I just ride this out . Thanks to the generosity of everyone within The Evolution family , I have the funds for my bond in my purse to cover bail if I get pulled over . And if it goes that far , come on down to the courthouse in Johnson County and protest for me .
My hope is , maybe before they catch up with me , something good will happen , like the MORE Act come to a vote , pass , and for Christmas this year , prohibition ends .
There is complacency among the masses when we get to go to the cannabis store . Folks get the feeling everything is alright , but it isn ’ t . Not yet . What I want for Christmas is for it to get alright , for everyone to get out of jail , and for all of us to be able to use our medicine without the fear of being treated like a criminal .
Next month , as the Kansas State Senate and the Federal Senate come back into session , please , please , please — Let your voices be heard !
Dolores Montgomery Halbin , RN , BSN , and Ordained Nurse Minister resides in SW Missouri . After her husband passed in 2015 , she retired from nursing . She worked with the 2014-2018 Missouri campaigns for legalized medical marijuana . She continues as a cannabis reform activist volunteering with Canna Convict Project and working toward Federal decriminalization through educational speaking and freelance journalism . Dolores Halbin ,
doloreshalbin @ gmail . com .