A new fight starts Tuesday over medical marijuana in Texas.

Lawmakers are going back to Austin, where supporters and opponents will be watching.

FOX44 spoke with Texas cannabis activist Karen Reeves with the Centex Community Outreach, who wants Texas to join other states like Oklahoma and New Mexico – where medical marijuana is legal.

She credits the green plant for saving her life.

“I have suffered from severe depression and cannabis has helped me lead a better quality of life, and it helped me get up every day,” Reeves says.

Reeves plans on going to the Texas Capitol to convince lawmakers to help her win this battle. She says marijuana is excellent for health, so why not make it legal?

“Anything from a relief from inflammation all the way, the cannabis actually reduces the plaque buildup in your brain, so it prevents the Alzheimer’s,” Reeves says.

She even challenges those against its recreational use.

“If you wanna smoke a joint after work recreationally, you are still gonna benefit from that because it will calm you,” Reeves says.

The activist wants doctors to freely prescribe marijuana just as any other medicine and for the homeowner to freely grow it.

“If you enjoy growing your garden every summer and feeding your family with your tomatoes and cucumbers, cannabis has that same effect on you,” Reeves says.

The activist says it is nothing but bad propaganda when people attribute marijuana to an increase in crime and hurting the youth. Reeves says the opposite is true – in places where it is legal, crime has dropped.

When it comes to minors, Reeves says there are responsible ways to keep the plant out of their reach. But she says minors too could benefit from a medical marijuana with an adult supervision and a doctor’s prescription.

FOX44 also tried to speak with addiction centers in the area and law enforcement who are against the legalization of marijuana, but no one wanted to talk on camera.