The state of Illinois is taking another big step in medical marijuana this week. Tuesday is the first day residents can apply for a medical marijuana card.

Noel Carter is a mother of a four-year-old boy and engaged to be married. She suffers from Fibromyalgia and depression and is hoping with medical marijuana she can give her son the childhood he deserves. Right now her life as a mom and fiancée is plagued with prescriptions.

“The Fibromyalgia, it makes it to where it’s hard to function there’s just a lot of pain and it makes you have exhaustion,” Carter said.

She suffered from the painful disease for eight years along with depression and doesn’t like to rely on medications to get her through, for fear of addiction.

“I have to kind of have that mom power and the adrenaline to keep up with my child to help keep going because I know he needs me to be the best mom I can be,” she said.

Now, as a resident of Illinois, she will be able to apply for a medical marijuana.

Listed on the Illinois Department of Public Health’s website is a list of conditions that make a patient eligible. Fibromyalgia is listed, but not depression.

“I’m definitely not the worst case out there, there’s so many people suffering from cancer and HIV that this can be so beneficial and let them live their lives,” she said.

– Read the entire article at KSDK News.