RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia's Regulated Medical Cannabis Program went into law on July 1. Breast Cancer patients like Vickie R. Williams-Cullins said the newly-available treatment can help reduce side-effects from chemotherapy.
Williams-Cullins said her symptoms from chemo were eased after using cannabis.
"It's an indescribably pain, it's an indescribable illness. It's indescribably sickness," she said, "you're just sick. You're so sick. You can't even breathe side, you're so sick."
So Williams-Cullins decided to try to treat those symptoms with cannabis.
"When you're just trying to manage staying alive, it's hard to stay on a regimen. So that was a lot easier to manage and mitigate some of the challenges that encumbered me when I was going through treatment," she said.
Williams-Cullins said she was happy more Virginians would have the option of using medical cannabis, but she's pushing for additional laws that would make the treatment more affordable.
Right now, patients need a written certification for medical cannabis from a healthcare practitioner that's registered with the state. Then patients use that certification to apply for a medical cannabis card. Once they get the card, they can shop at one of the state's dispensaries.
To find out more about Virgina's Regulated Medical Cannabis program click here.
Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation is hosting a free webinar about medical cannabis on Thursday, October 8 as part of their 2020 More than a Pink Ribbon educational series. For more information or to register, click here.
