Jean suffered polio as a child, which left one leg permanently disabled. She walks with a limp. Now in her 60s, Jean's condition has become exacerbated by post polio syndrome, which causes extreme pain in her hips and legs and general body weakness with muscle cramps.

After she had raised her family and pursued graduate work in California, a chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia support group recommended marijuana to Ms. Cooper for her post polio syndrome.

"I was amazed. Just a few puffs took away the pain. I was able to move around comfortably to walk, clean my house, and do all the things I needed to do. While living in California, and then for awhile in Hawaii, I had legal access to marijuana. This was during the time after these states had made marijuana available for medical use.

"Then in early 1999 I returned to Arkansas to care for my father. Since my return, I have not been able to obtain marijuana. My doctor has prescribed a variety of medications but these seem to have little effect on my symptoms. I still feel stiff and my body aches. The worst part is that these drugs make me very groggy. I'm afraid to drive and I don't feel very sociable.

"Since being in Arkansas and experiencing this painful recurrence of my condition, I have become very depressed. I don't know how much these powerful pain medications may be contributing to my depression, but now I'm also having to take strong mood altering drugs to control the depression. I take Darvocet for pain, Flexeril for muscle spasms, Doxipin for pain and as a sedative, Celexa for depression, and Klonopin as an antidepressant.

"I don't like what all these drugs are doing to me but I don't know what else to do. I am seriously considering moving to one of the states where marijuana is available, even though it would mean moving away from my family."