JACKSON HOLE – "If people are worried about cannabis making you slip or fall over, they shouldn't," laughed Chris Christian, executive director of Wyoming's chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, "I'm 67 and I fall over all the time. You don't need weed for that."

In a state where the Legislature is straight-line anti-marijuana, and city governments and law enforcement are fighting to stand as far away from ending prohibition, Christian has the daunting task of getting the medicinal use of marijuana on the Wyoming ballot in 2016. Even though she's mobilizing volunteers in all 23 counties to gain the required 25,673 signatures to qualify the initiative for public vote, the Lander native and Jackson Hole great-grandmother didn't always intend to be a spokesperson for something most people identify with stoner culture.

"I originally went to the University of Wyoming with the intention of becoming a substance abuse counselor," remembers Christian. "I studied NORML then as a student, and never thought much about them, but the more research I did, the more I realized that cannabis isn't addictive, and actually has some heavy medicinal benefit. To go on to teach people that marijuana was bad seemed unethical to me, so I became an activist."

Christian's journey to college and the life of an activist on the frontlines of the marijuana prohibition battle has been a long, challenging one. "My dad was working construction down in South Pass back in 1949, when my mom went into labor. I was almost born in the middle of real nowhere, but they made it to the hospital in Lander just in time."

Christian grew up in Wyoming and Colorado, surrounded by cowboys and oil fields workers, a far cry from the hippy culture that permeated the United States in the 1960s. After a brief time at the University of Wyoming, Christian married and moved to Virginia. She wouldn't return to Wyoming until 1987, when, as a certified Emergency Medical Technician, she came home to help with the great Yellowstone Fire.

In 1992, Christian finally returned to college, wanting to continue a life of service as a counselor. In 1995, she graduated from the University of Wyoming School of Law with a degree in psychology, and a minor in anthropology. "Since then, I've become more involved in activism, because I didn't think I could be an exception to the rule if I just listened to people's problems and handed them a bunch of pills," said Christian. "I actually want to get to the root of the problem."

Drawing on her education and desire to make a difference, Christian joined NORML and began to educate the public on the documented uses for cannabis. "Lou Gehrig's disease, Alzheimer's, Attention Deficit Disorder, PTSD...the list goes on and on," remarked Christian. "Cannabis has been proven over and over to help these illnesses, yet the medical industry just keeps throwing pills at people, most of which are just common speed." Noting that Wyoming has one of the highest suicide rates in the U.S., Christian believes a marijuana initiative would alleviate the problem to a great extent. "Look we have a ton of veterans with real, serious problems, and pop psychology and pills won't help that. They need something that calms them down and helps them rest, naturally. Then, and only then can they get their thoughts together enough to seek further help."

Despite the medicinal and psychological benefits presented by NORML, Christian believes cannabis can also save Wyoming's agricultural deficits. "Sugar beets, coal, corn, they are all going to slip one day, due to the economy and the pressure on GMO farming and other factors around the country," said Christian. "Industrial hemp is a crop that could save Wyoming virtually overnight." Christian admits that there has been an interest in growing in Wyoming, but the pressure from the government is great. "The legislature claims that nobody has approached them about cannabis as a cash crop. Now, I'm not going to say that they are liars, but they certainly are mistaken. There's a lot of fear in Wyoming government," noted Christian, "and I understand it. They can see things changing and this is a state where change is very, very slow and regarded with caution and skepticism."

One of the biggest fears Christian encounters is how legal marijuana would affect the youth of Wyoming. "Look," Christian said, " young men aren't going to get lazy because of weed, they are going to get lazy because they want to. Kids are historically always going to try things. At least if it's legal and regulated like alcohol, we know they are safe within the law. At this point, we have no idea what's in street drugs and I have no tolerance for that risk."

While traveling the state and educating voters on the marijuana initiative, Christian picked up the nickname "Granny Buds", a lighthearted poke at her age and her favorite topic.

"I don't mind being called Granny Buds," Christian laughed. "I have four grandkids and one great-grandchild. I've been called worse, and I reckon it fits. I'm not some dirty hippy, I'm just an old lady that wants to help things change instead of watching them pass me by."