SANTA FE — Bobbie Wooten, paralyzed from the waist down for 33 years, is one of 4,300 people in New Mexico certified by the state to use medical marijuana.

But Wooten, 51, says she has taken to buying marijuana illegally from street dealers in her hometown of Silver City because she cannot find a state-authorized producer nearby.

‘It’s risky,’ she said. ‘I taught special education for seven years, and I might want to go back to that someday. I don’t want to lose my license, but I need the marijuana.’

Wooten says she is taking her chances on a criminal charge because marijuana is effective in alleviating chronic spasms in her legs a condition called intractable spasticity.

Marijuana also allows her to continue functioning normally, she says. Wooten dislikes Valium, another treatment option, because she says it makes her tired and causes her to lose focus.

For a time, Wooten grew her own marijuana, which is permitted under state law for patients who need the drug for medical reasons.

But that led to a confrontation with a landlord. Finding no licensed supplier to accommodate her, she said, she began breaking the law.

Wooten’s case illustrates a larger fight that has been under way in New Mexico for […]

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