Thread by @ashtonpittman

THREAD: 16-year-old Bryan Loftin sat in a wheelchair next to his mom and watched as Gov. Tate Reeves made his way around the restaurant.

The governor greeted every table in the room—except the one where the boy in the wheelchair sat with his mom. •1
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Christine Loftin was on a mission: She was there to confront Gov. Reeves for stalling the legislation to legalize medical marijuana.

Reeves once dismissed supporters of medical marijuana as "stoners." But for Bryan, it's a matter of life-or-death. •2 mississippifreepress.org/17896/as-gov-r…

Undeterred by Gov. Reeves' apparent slight, Christine Loftin and Bryan approached him from behind, making clear they wanted to speak with him.

But the governor kept his back turned and began walking away. •3
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Gov. Reeves glanced back a few times, Christine Loftin noticed, but “would never turn around and acknowledge us.”

Reeves stopped at his own table, his back still turned to her and the boy in the wheelchair.

Then, Bryan tugged at his coattail. •4
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Gov. Reeves turned around, a seemingly surprised smile appearing on his face as he looked down at the boy. “How are you doing?”

Bryan extended his arm, handing Reeves a photo of his own battered face. Reeves’ smile vanished.

“Thank you,” he said. •5
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“We called your office five times, and nobody has returned your calls,” Christine Loftin told Gov. Reeves.

“This is Bryan Loftin,” she continued, placing her hand on the boy’s head. “And he’s having a seizure right now.” •6
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Bryan has mitochondrial disease. It's caused seizures since he was 15 months old.

Some seizures cause his body to go limp, making him fall and sustain injuries—including a fractured skull. Each photo represents a different injury caused by a seizure. •7
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“On a bad day (Bryan) can have hundreds of seizures back-to-back-to-back. He can’t get up, he can’t walk or talk, he can’t eat or drink," Christine Loftin told @NickJudin.

A dozen medications haven't helped; some even induced new kinds of seizures. •8
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Though he can walk with a seizure helmet on, Bryan Loftin spends much of his days relegated to a wheelchair or sitting safely on the sofa. An episode in the wrong place could prove deadly. •9
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Dr. Fran Kendall, a geneticist at the University of Georgia, says marijuana "appears to provide symptomatic relief with improved seizure control and pain relief" for people with Bryan's condition. •10
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In a study of adults & kids with severe forms of epilepsy, convulsive seizures fell by 53% in 23 patients with Dravet syndrome; others with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome saw 55% decline in atonic seizures—the kind that are most dangerous for Bryan. •11
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“When I call medical marijuana life-saving medication ... he has atonic seizures which means you just lose all control in your body, & you just drop to the floor. He’s had a fractured skull from that," says Christine Loftin. •12
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Obtaining marijuana illegally to treat Bryan's illness isn't an option for Christine Loftin. As his primary caregiver, she could lose custody of her son—even if she did so in an attempt to improve and save his life. •13
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A year ago this week, Bryan Loftin’s mother felt as if the weight of the world had lifted off of her shoulders.

Nearly 69% of Mississippi voters had approved a ballot proposal legalizing and implementing a regulated medical-marijuana program. •14
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“When your governor is out there stating that it’s all these potheads who want this, I felt it was so important for people who were on the fence or who were opposed to it to see that’s not who it’s for. Bryan is who it’s for," said Loftin. •15
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"This is a child who’s done nothing to anyone & he has so much life & so much energy and so much positivity to give the world. He needs this medication," Christine Loftin said.

If voters' wishes had been honored, medical marijuana would be legal now. •16
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Mississippians voted to legalize medical marijuana with Initiative 65, but Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler said she didn't want "pot shops" in her town.

Her plan: To kill the voter-approved medical marijuana law by getting courts to void the ballot •17
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In May, the Mississippi Supreme Court agreed with Butler, ruling that, because the ballot initiative law was written for a time when Mississippi had 5 congressional districts, it is inoperable now that there are only four. They voided Initiative 65. •18
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The Mississippi Supreme Court's ruling crushed the joy and hope Christine Loftin felt for her son's future after voters opted legalized medical marijuana.

“I rode that hope for a while until our fine leaders decided to take it back," she said. •19
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“I was furious, angry, mad, I wanted to scream ... that they decided because of a technicality that they knew was there all along that they were going to deny (Bryan) the medication he needs to save his life," said Christine Loftin. •20
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After the MS Supreme Court killed the medical marijuana law, Gov. Reeves said he'd call a special legislative session to enact one if lawmakers drafted a bill.

“Next week isn't likely but...it should be sooner rather than later,” he said in mid-June. •21
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Months after vowing to call a legislative session to address medical marijuana if lawmakers gave him a bill, Gov. Reeves has not done so.

Lawmakers presented him with a bill in September. •22
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The medical marijuana bill lawmakers drafted is more conservative than the law Mississippi voters approved last year, with stricter dosing and THC limits.

But Gov. Reeves called it a "recreational marijuana" bill. He wants more restrictions. •23
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Reeves: “We don’t want a recreational-marijuana program, I don’t believe the people of Mississippi want a recreational-marijuana program, & I don’t want a recreational-marijuana program.”

(The draft bill isn't a recreational marijuana program). •24
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Sen. Kevin Blackwell: “The Senate and the House have been ready to go. We’re just waiting on the governor. He had indicated in the past that when we had an agreement between the Senate and the House, he would consider calling a special session." •25
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“My belief is that this whole holdup is about politics, money, greed and all of the things that government is all about,” Christine Loftin said, adding that she is not a partisan. •26
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Here's a video courtesy Christine Loftin from the day Bryan handed Gov. Reeves a photo of his battered face.

He was having a seizure as his mother urged Reeves to enact a medical marijuana program.

"Thank you, we're working on it," Reeves repeated. •27
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“(Reeves) just kept repeating the same phrase. He couldn’t say anything else," said Christine Loftin. "So at that point, we just made sure he had the picture in his hand, and then we walked off. ... I’m not going to cause a riot in a restaurant.” •28
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“(Gov. Tate Reeves) had to see Bryan, he had to see Bryan’s face in that picture,” Loftin said. “And my hope is he never forgets that—that when he wakes up every morning, he sees this kid with a black eye," said Christine Loftin. •29
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Every time Gov. Tate Reeves goes to bed, Christine Loftin says, she hopes "he sees this kid with a black eye; and every time he sees somebody with a black eye, he thinks of my child and how he is holding up the process of us getting our medication.” •30
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Politics isn't just a game between warring partisans. As journalists, we must always remember to put the focus on people over the entertainment of partisan power games.

I'm proud to share a byline on this story with @NickJudin, who really gets that. •31
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P.S. Make sure you're following @NickJudin. He's one of Mississippi's best journalists and interviewers. He conducted the interviews for this story.
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Christine Loftin: “As a parent with three kids and a special-needs child, I just cannot fight all day every day. I can’t do it. And without the people’s support, there’s no way we can be where we are."
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*to kill the voter-approved medical marijuana law by getting courte to void the entire ballot initiative process