Approve migraines for cannabis treatment

Gov. Rauner needs to stand up for patents and approve the 11 debilitating conditions recommended for cannabis treatment by the Medical Cannabis Advisory Board. Many Illinois residents are suffering while they wait.

I personally suffer from debilitating migraines to the point where I am paralyzed with pain and unable to be the mother and worker I want to be. After years of seeing a variety of physicians, I was diagnosed with E.T. JAK2, a chronic and rare blood disorder that causes debilitating migraines. So severe that I often miss out on family bike rides, school events and spending quality time with my children.

I sometimes feel like a failure as a mother. I am unable to drive or perform basic daily functions, which causes me to miss work and become reclusive. This is not how I want to live my life. I have tried a variety of medications and therapies prescribed by my neurologist with no success.

Cannabis edibles and CBD oils take away approximately 80 percent of the pain and work within 20 minutes; without the harsh side effects. No medication other than cannabis has been able to do that for me.

Every day that passes is another day that someone like me suffers from pain that could be preventable from access to medical cannabis. As a mother, and hard working taxpayer of Illinois, I am pleading with Gov. Rauner to approve migraines as a qualifying condition, so I can legally and safety use cannabis as a viable treatment.

Jessica S. Harshbarger

Schaumburg