News

Actions

MO nurse working hard to pass medical marijuana

Posted at 12:17 PM, Feb 11, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-12 00:08:54-05

Dolores Halbin, a local nurse, is risking it all to save a husband she already lost.

She was recently convicted on a misdemeanor charge of possessing marijuana. This all comes after the couple's home was raided in March 2014. Halbin will tell you it wasn't about getting high -- it was about getting the medical care her husband, Gene Halbin, needed.

He battled a severe form of glaucoma and diabetes. As a nurse, she said his health improved after he started to use marijuana.

"As soon as he started using marijuana, his pain went away and it was immediate," she said. After the raid and the lack of marijuana treatment, she said his pain grew even worse.

Gene Halbin died in November 2015, and now Dolores Halbin is left to fight a battle her husband started: legalizing medical marijuana.

"It's not over, and it's not ever going to be over until this doesn't happen to anyone else. This is medical abuse and neglect to children, the elderly, veterans and the sick," she said.

Halbin told 41 Action News she may appeal. If there is no appeal or new trial, sentencing is set for March 21.

To learn more about why the Halbins decided against moving to Colorado, watch the video below. (On a mobile device and can't see it? Watch it here.)

To learn how to sign up for the petition, residents should contact New Approach Kansas City directly on their website. To learn more about becoming a volunteer with this group, click here. Residents must sign the petition in person. Missouri state law requires handwritten signatures - you cannot sign online.

Signature location map for state of Missouri. Signatures will also be collected at the Plaza Library on Feb. 14 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The next petition workshop will be held on Feb. 22 at the Plaza Library from 6-8 p.m. Click here for more locations. 

------

Alyson Bruner can be reached at alyson.bruner@kshb.com.

You can also follow her on Twitter.

Connect on Facebook