ARTIST LENDS HER TALENTS FOR NORML CONFERENCE

After being put on disability, Sonia Sanchez said she has been able
to become the artist she was feels like she was meant to be.

A longtime medical marijuana patient, Sanchez, 51, who was diagnosed
with epilepsy in 1997, said creating posters for the National
Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws has helped her develop
a new style of art she really enjoys.

Using lots of color and various icons for inspiration, the former
graphic designer and art director creates fun, bubbly art with a 1960s vibe.

"I've always been an artist, but never like this before," Sanchez
said, sitting at a table at the 38th annual NORML conference in San Francisco.

Conference-goers excitedly gathered around Sanchez's booth to get a
free signed copy of the poster, which features President Barack Obama
smoking a joint. The poster goes with this year's theme, "Yes we cannabis."

The poster had been changed since the original, which featured a
photo of a young Obama smoking a cigarette. The image had been
altered to make him seem like he was holding a joint, but it sparked
some controversy over its copyrights earlier this year, so Sanchez
changed the design.

She said doing her own art has allowed her more flexibility to be
creative. Her portfolio is filled with similar designs, but also
features her fine art work, which includes detailed sketches and inked images.

In the past, she has always worked for a client. Now, she and her
best friend, Tina Panzer, get together to brainstorm ideas.

"She's a fantastic artist," Panzer said. "I become her agent once a
year for this."

It was Panzer who convinced NORML to use Sanchez's talents for a free
conference poster in 2001. Panzer and her husband, Bill Panzer,
NORML's legal counsel, have paid for the poster's production each year.

Since then, Sanchez has done work for NORML supporter Willie Nelson,
and recently two of her posters were seen on the set of the Showtime
series "Weeds."

Sanchez and Panzer share more than the creation of a poster. In 1997,
both women were diagnosed with epilepsy, having their first seizures
within about a month of each other. Since then, Sanchez has had
surgery to address her epilepsy, but Panzer has not been able to have
surgery and still suffers from seizures.

Epilepsy medication causes a loss of appetite for both of them, so
marijuana helps them to eat. Panzer said marijuana also helps to calm
her down after a seizure or in stressful situations that can induce
seizures, and keeps her optimistic while facing her reality of a life
with seizures.

"You can be pretty depressed with all the medications," she said.

Panzer's friendship has been a rock for Sanchez through divorce,
being a single mom with two kids, and the struggle with epilepsy.

"We've been down that road together. ... It's been an incredible
journey," she said.