The Ohio Rights Group’s 2,500+ volunteers are currently campaigning to legalize marijuana for medical purposes, and hemp for industrial dedications in their republic. The pro-marijuana group has recently gained a new advocate to help spread the message of how beneficial the plant can be.

The group is claiming that due to the recent unification with nationally recognized marijuana advocate Cheryl Shuman, the campaign is gaining much needed momentum.

“I have post-traumatic stress disorder and I’m also a cancer survivor so when I used cannabis as a last resort it saved my life,” explained Shuman.

Previous attempts to legalize the plant for medicinal usage in Ohio have failed. Ohio Rights Group President John Pardee claims that although the past endeavors have fallen just shy of victory, the group’s current effort is experiencing a stimulating amount of energy.

“It’s been tried many times but every time they’ve come up short and this time we have a lot of momentum,” said Pardee.

Editor's Note: This article originally published on the 420 Times on Tuesday, October 22, 2013.

Photo Credit: Nagel Photography / Shutterstock.com