OZARK (AP) – A southwest Missouri man who’s featured with his wife on a billboard supporting legalization of marijuana says the drug helped him deal with spinal disorders.

suffers from degenerative disc disease and stenosis of the spine. He’s undergone three spinal surgeries and took prescription painkillers until he suffered what he said were potentially deadly side effects.

Bertrand started growing marijuana in 2007 to deal with his pain, but was arrested in 2010 and sentenced to probation.

Court battles led Bertrand and his wife, Patricia, to learn more about Show Me Cannabis, an organization that plans to file an initiative petition seeking a marijuana decriminalization proposal for ballots in 2016.

The Springfield News-Leader reports the billboard featuring the Bertrands along Interstate 44 was installed before Memorial Day.