MEDICAL MARIJUANA ADVOCATE USES DAKOTAFEST TO TELL HIS FAMILY'S STORY

Emmett Reistroffer said he has personally witnessed the healing power
of marijuana.

As a 10-year-old, he watched as his grandmother wasted away from
chemotherapy treatments. Sitting behind a table in a tent Wednesday at
Dakotafest in Mitchell, Reistroffer said the family's difficult
decision to obtain marijuana for his ailing grandmother turned out
well.

"She kept losing weight. They didn't think she was going to live
another year," Reistroffer said. "We found some (marijuana), gave it
to my grandmother and, for the first time in her therapy, she gained
weight. I sincerely believe it prolonged her life."

Reistroffer manned a table at Dakotafest this week to tell his story
and drum up support for Initiative 13, an initiated measure facing
voters this November that, if passed, would allow patients with
debilitating medical conditions to possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana,
provided they have signed certification by their physician. If the
measure passes, patients or designated caregivers would be allowed to
cultivate up to six marijuana plants.

Reistroffer said most of the people who came to his table were either
in support of or, at the very least, willing to hear out his argument
for legalizing the medicinal use of marijuana.

He's especially encouraged by the people who have stopped to tell
their personal experiences with the use of marijuana as medicine.

"It's a hard topic to talk about for a lot of people," Reistroffer
said. "They know they broke the law when they did it, but it's what
they had to do to find relief."

"I think the compassion aspect of this is what's driving our campaign,
and that's what South Dakotans relate to," Reistroffer said. "South
Dakotans are generally compassionate for the sick and dying. They just
need to understand the logistics of the issue, so that's what we're
working hard to do."

This isn't the first time an initiative like this has been proposed to
South Dakota voters. In 2006, voters rejected the legalization of
medical marijuana by 52 percent to 48 percent, earning the state,
according to Reistroffer, the "record of being the only state that has
ever rejected a medical marijuana proposal."

But that doesn't discourage Reistroffer. After Dakotafest, he will
continue appearing at fairs and other gatherings to spread the message
that, he hopes, will lead to an election-night victory in November.

"People are coming together from all different backgrounds for this,"
Reistroffer said. "It's because illness breaks every demographic."