A local woman, actively fought to legalize medical marijuana in Pennsylvania. Now that the battle’s been won, she works every day to connect more residents with the drug.
Christy Billett, from Huntingdon, says cannabis saved her life. It helped her detox from alcohol, and move away from alcoholism at the age of 21. Later, it helped wean her off narcotic painkillers, prescribed for work injuries. Now, she uses it legally for severe back pain, neuropathy, and other issues.
In 2014, Billett created the non-profit Pa Safe Access and took her fight for medical marijuana to Harrisburg. Now, she runs an office in Huntingdon where people can come for information on cannabis, and meet with a doctor approved to certify them to use it.
“Anyone can come to them as long as they have one of the 21 qualifying conditions, or they have some kind of documentation or record stating that they have that qualifying condition.”
She also offers show and tell with the various forms of medical marijuana, everything from sugar, wax, and budder concentrates to capsules. Delivery systems include vape and cartridge pens, syringes that dispense an oral dose, and creams.
Billett says, “I usually use my vape pens in most cases, we have capsules for night. I also use and RSO for night, which is like a dark substances that’s a super concentrate.”
Omni Medical Services of Pennsylvania periodically sends a doctor to Huntingdon to certify patients.
Billett also travels statewide for the company bringing the medical marijuana message.
“I want people to realize that medical marijuana is not the evil devil weed that people were talking about years ago. This really is about creating a better qualify of life for people,” she says.
Billett believes that having cannabis to treat pain will keep people from becoming addicted to opioids and she’s excited that it’s been approved as a therapy for opiate addiction.