Larry Quigley said he has tried all manner of treatment since suffering a spinal cord injury 28 years ago without success, which has meant a life in a wheelchair.

It wasn't until his birthday this past April, however, that he smoked marijuana and first discovered its medicinal effects. While other prescribed drugs had clouded his mind, he said, marijuana quelled the pain and spasms without the side effects.

Quigley called on officials from the Iowa Board of Pharmacy to take steps toward the legalization of medical marijuana Wednesday at a public hearing at the University of Iowa's Bowen Science Building.

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