Seniors

By CBS NEWS

MIAMI, FL - A South Florida man is setting out to promote the use of medical marijuana.

Billboards are popping up along Sample Road in Broward County that are targeting senior citizens.

The more ornate billboard says, 'Legalize Medical Marijuana. I'm a patient not a criminal' and another depicts an elderly person in a wheelchair.

Down the road, another billboard reads 'Reschedule Medical Marijuana, one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man." CBS4's Cynthia Demos spoke with folks who drove by the billboard.

"For my family I don't like it," said Roseanne Alves.

"Marijuana is a gateway drug," said Zed Castro.

The billboards are the work of 69-year-old Robert Platshorn.

Platshorm said he spent 30 years in prison for smuggling marijuana, a substance he says can help people and shouldn't be illegal. He doesn't want others sent to prison for what he calls, 'not committing a crime', so he is trying to make it legal.

"The billboard is a way to bring attention to the cause," Platshorn said. In the four years he's been out of prison he started his cause, "The Silver Tour" to promote the legalization of marijuana for seniors.

"They have the time, the inclination and the need," he said.

Irvin Rosenfels, 59, is one of Platshorn's biggest supporters.