interviewed me had never heard of medical marijuana ; only that marijuana was a drug . So , she called all the doctors in the area and asked them what they knew . A local girl who grew up to be the town doctor in nearby Cassville , Dr . Lisa Roark , was the only doctor to tell the reporter she supported medical marijuana .
Aristotle says we need three things to be an effective change agent : logos ( knowledge of the subject ), ethos ( integrity ), and pathos ( compassion ). The town doc had all three , and for the next several months , she , along with an army of nurses and a couple of other doctors , used the respect they had in the community to campaign for Amendment 2 .
I went back to Broadway Street in 2018 , and it took me less than two hours to go door to door . It would have been quicker , but everyone wanted to talk about marijuana . That day only two people wouldn ’ t sign .
Emery and the County Coroner
My little granddaughter Emery was 11 during that second campaign in 2018 , which was , is deeply personal to her . She loved her grandpa very much . She has his eyes . She had also gone online and read every article written about her grandpa and me , and she did not want this to happen to any other family . She spent hours beating the streets with me as I collected signatures .
One afternoon , she cornered the County Coroner who had driven to the Town Square in Pierce City , MO , specifically to protest us legalizing “ another drug .” He had seen enough bodies die from drug overdoses to “ last me a lifetime ,” he told us .
By the time that scrawny little kid finished with him , he came over to the table and signed the petition . She changed his understanding of the cannabis plant , and in doing so , she changed his vocabulary . The County Coroner will forever correct anyone else he hears calling cannabis a drug .
This was change through hard work and education .
Change will most likely always be too slow for me ; however , this Thanksgiving , I will allow myself to put down my bow and broadsword for the day and be thankful for the changes we have made . Are they enough ? Absolutely not ! But today , we celebrate what we have done and fatten up for the next battle to annihilate prohibition once and for all .
Happy Gratitude Day , everyone . May your turkey be fat and happy . Thanks for taking your valuable time to read our amazing magazine and for every little thing you do each day to tip the needle towards repeal !
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 .
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