Claudia Vaughan | Scene Reporter

Vickie Hoffman is a 46-year-old grandmother of three, retired bartender and strong advocate of the legalization of marijuana. A resident of Grubville, Mo., a town of fewer than 500 people, all of her life, Hoffman now dedicates much of her time to getting involved in her community, in particular with Grannies for Grass, a pro-legalization group she founded. Hoffman has Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory disease that affects the gastrointestinal tracts and can cause vomiting, skin rashes and arthritis. She started smoking marijuana 12 years ago to ease the agonizing pain that accompanies the disease. Though currently illegal in the state of Missouri, marijuana seemed the best option for Hoffman, who is allergic to most pain medications.

Today, only two states, Washington and Colorado, currently allow the sale of marijuana for both medical and non-medical use. Six other states have both medical and decriminalization laws for marijuana. Missouri, however, has neither. In fact, Missouri has some of the harshest anti-marijuana legislation in the entire country—possession of marijuana can be punishable by a $1,000 fine or even up to a year in prison. Getting caught with more than 35 grams of marijuana is considered a felony that can result in a $5,000 fine or up to seven years in prison.

It looks as though Missouri supporters of legalization have a clear and tremendously difficult battle to fight, yet many seem to be using very docile tactics to voice their opinions. Hoffman’s chapter has casual get-togethers and trivia nights to educate people in an entertaining way.

“Grannies for Grass is a grassroots organization network of grandparents who believe in the benefits of cannabis as well as the sustainable world we could create with hemp,” Hoffman said. “Our goal is to reach and educate as many people as possible.”

Hoffman did not originally intend to start her own pro-cannabis group. “It started as a joke,” Hoffman said. “I had joined Moms for Marijuana and cracked a joke to the founder that I was more of a Granny for Grass. She told me in fact there was a group in Canada with that name. I contacted the founder and asked to start my own chapter here in the United States.” With that, the St. Louis Grannies for Grass organization was born and, since then, has gained a decent following. In March, the New York Times interviewed Hoffman for its feature on the rise of marijuana use in older generations.

The group operates with the mentality that people should be free to use marijuana as a pain-relieving substance.

“Cannabis should be legal, the same as alcohol and tobacco,” Hoffman said. “The many uses of cannabis are too numerous to list. I believe that people should have the right to live pain-free. Alcohol, tobacco and prescription drugs have been proven to be deadlier than cannabis.”

Hoffman herself is a living example that, all factors considered, cannabis is a strong option for medical treatment for some individuals. Without using marijuana, Hoffman’s arthritis would be so painful that she would not be able to entertain her group or participate in their activities.

Just as many people are set in their opinions regarding the legalization of marijuana, so too is Hoffman. Her philosophy is simple: “Stop believing the lies. Educate yourself.”

For more information about the grassroots organization, please visit www.granniesforgrass.com.