Medical marijuana patients hoping Baker reconsiders vaping ban

Medical marijuana patients who use vapes to manage their pain are hoping Governor Charlie Baker will reconsider his ban on the products.

Tiffany Fisher has been vaping her medical marijuana for two years. She has rheumatoid arthritis and bipolar anxiety. When she first heard about Baker's vaping ban, she panicked.

"What I was originally going to do, I was going to start hoarding what I had left," said Fisher.

Fisher's friend Kathy Deschenes also relies on her vape. She has several chronic illnesses and after long days at work, she turns to her vape pen for relief.

"The pain is just excruciating. I just crash on the couch, I vape for maybe 15 minutes and the pain and nausea disappear," said Deschenes.

On Thursday, Baker said the ban does not limit access to medical marijuana.

"There are many alternative uses available to people who currently have prescriptions for medical marijuana and they should pursue those," said Baker.

Both Fisher and Deschenes get their medical marijuana from Patriot Care in Lowell. They say yes, there are other ways to take medical marijuana, but vaping works the best for them.

"I tried different edibles. I tried tinctures. In water, under your tongue. None of it worked for me," said Deschenes.

The women say they feel like they're being punished.

"We’re not teens walking off the street saying, hey let's go vape. You know we really think about it," Deschenes said.

"Let me treat my illness the way I want to treat it and the best way for me," said Fisher.

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