EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP WOMAN WITH ALS CONTINUES ADVOCATING FOR MEDICAL
MARIJUANA, AND REFLECTS ON AGREEMENT STRUCK BY GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE

Diane Riportella doesn't know how much time she has left.

She has Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, ALS - Lou Gehrig's Disease.
The disease, which has no known cure, is causing her muscles to weaken.

Her remaining time is a chance to help others, to keep fighting.

So last month, the Egg Harbor Township resident, 54, traveled to
Trenton. Three people helped her prepare for the trip to the Statehouse.

There, Riportella appeared before two legislative committees
considering medical marijuana regulation - marijuana helps her feel
better, improving her spirits and appetite. Her father, New York
State Assemblyman Jose Rivera, spoke on her behalf in Trenton.

"When I first approached my father about my marijuana use, he was
against it," Riportella said Tuesday. "He saw what a difference
smoking had on me, and he's supported it since."

Following the committee sessions, lawmakers urged Riportella to visit
Gov. Chris Christie's office. She did.

She waited. Spoke with a secretary. Christie was busy ... then in a meeting.

Riportella cried.

While the meeting never happened - not yet, anyway - Riportella
didn't lose faith. In the past week she received a letter in the mail
from Christie, addressing her concerns about the state's medical
marijuana restrictions.

"I'm pretty proud of that, seeing him taking some of his time to
reach out to me," she said.

After the letter was mailed, on Dec. 3, Christie struck a deal to
expand the growth and distribution of medical cannabis in New Jersey.
Riportella said the agreement is an improvement over previous restrictions.

But more can be done. So Riportella's fight continues.

"God gave me this disease for a purpose," she said. "This is bigger than me."