COLLINSVILLE, Ill. – April 20, or 4/20, has become synonymous with pot.
While some use this day to crack a few jokes, others use it as a way to advocate for looser marijuana laws.
In Illinois, 40 different ailments have been approved to be treated with medical marijuana but chronic pain is not on the list.
Andrew Somarty wants to see that changed. He was in a car accident 12 years ago and has suffered from chronic pain ever since.
To alleviate the pain, Somarty's doctor prescribed him opiates but he said he's worried about the side effects.
"There's creams and topicals that they make with cannabis that alleviate the pain within 2-4 minutes. And they give you relief for four hours or more and there's no side effects. I don't understand why I should be a victim of a pill," he said.
Opponents of medical marijuana in Illinois argue adding more illnesses to the approved list would make the law too broad, and make it more likely someone would abuse the drug.
Somarty disagrees.
“I think that if people understood or had the chance to try it, that their views would change dramatically," he said.
