Opinion: A father tells how medical marijuana could have helped his child. He’s in favor of Initiative 65.

Among our best blessings from our Lord are our three daughters. After my second daughter was born, my wife and I were told we were not likely to conceive again. Seven years later, we found out we were to be blessed a third time.

Jenna was the best little blessing we never knew we were going to get. I called her our sweet one. She was a dancer, smart as could be, and a girly girl. Funny and always joking, changing your phone password and playing jokes, this was Jenna.

At age 6, Jenna had an incident at school and was in a grand mal seizure for several hours.

Days later came the diagnosis: Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy.

After several days in the hospital to figure out medications, we brought Jenna home. We discovered each medication came with substantial side effects – breakthrough seizures, blurry vision, weight loss, fatigue, body aches and mood swings. It took six months to get a follow-up appointment. My wife left her job so she could better manage Jenna’s condition.

For a while, the epilepsy was being managed. Jenna was once again dancing and our sweet one’s confidence was getting stronger. But during junior high, it became apparent that home school was going to be necessary because of the seizures.

At 16 years old she finished high school with honors and was offered a full acting, singing and modeling contract. Within days, medications stopped working and Jenna became the one out of three epilepsy patients that are refractory, the term used when nothing from the pharmaceutical shelf works for the patient. Surgery was not an option because her seizures seemed to radiate from every place in her brain. We considered other solutions.

Medical marijuana has great success for refractory patients. We didn’t want to break the law and our only choice was to explore moving to another state where medical marijuana was an option. While preparing for her senior dance recital and before we visited such an area, Jenna passed away.

At the date of her death, approximately seven medical marijuana bills had been killed in committee in the Mississippi Legislature. At this time, in October 2020, there have been more than 20 blocked medical marijuana bills over the last 10 years in our Legislature.

Fortunately, our state Constitution provides a path for citizens to make laws when our Legislature ignores its constituents. Some 280,000 Mississippians signed Initiative 65 petitions to make this an option that is between state doctors and their patients.

Now, the very same people that have blocked medical marijuana from its citizens want you to vote for 65A so they can make the rules. Their rules would not have helped Jenna or anyone else like her because she would not have been considered “terminal” by the standards in 65A. This “A” is not OK.

Chronically ill Mississippians have enough struggles without having to worry about going to battle with politicians. Please vote yes for medical marijuana, and then, please vote for Initiative 65.

Paul Robinson, president of Jenna Robinson Charities, is a lifelong resident of South Mississippi and an advocate of persons with epilepsy.

This story was originally published October 27, 2020 at 8:00 AM.