MAN SAYS POT RELIEVES EFFECTS OF EYE DISEASE

The communications director for a pro-medical marijuana lobbyist group says
without cannabis, he'd be blind.

Gary Storck, 47, of Madison, and a member of IMMLY (Is My Medicine Legal
Yet?), says the Noonan syndrome he was born with affects his eyes in a
manner similar to glaucoma and causes chronic pain throughout his body.

He said smoking pot every day for nearly 30 years has helped reduce his
pain and keep his eyesight.

"The fact that I can see 47 years after I was born with this disease is a
testimony to its effectiveness," he said.

Storck said he discovered its medicinal properties by accident 30 years
ago, after his eye doctor reported an improvement in his eye pressure.
Storck had been smoking pot.

Noonan Syndrome is a congenital disease characterized by facial and
skeletal deformities and heart defects, among other things, according to
the American Society of Human Genetics.

Storck said he's tried a number of over-the-counter and prescription drugs,
but none work as well as cannabis.

"I have had a good quality of life by using cannabis as medicine," he said.
"God put this plant on earth to help us, and we shouldn't slap him in the
face by making it illegal.

"I'm living proof that marijuana is an effective and safe medicine. None of
my doctors question it. Why should the federal government, or any government?"

Storck has spoken out publicly on medical marijuana but says he lives in
fear of getting caught because, although Madison's city ordinances allows
for medical use of marijuana, doctors can't legally prescribe it.

"If I were arrested, I would go after a jury trial and let the people
decide if I am a criminal," he said.

More information on IMMLY can be found at www.immly.org