In November, the United States Senate passed laws that allow the Veterans Administration to recommend medicinal marijuana to veterans if they are in need and reside in states where it is legal.
These new provisions do not alter current laws that prevent individuals from possessing or dispensing marijuana while on the property of the Veterans Administration. Instead, veterans can only discuss the available options with VA doctors.
For years, veteran groups have tried to persuade Congress to allow post-traumatic stress disorder victims to use marijuana for treatment. According to the Veterans Equal Access Amendment, veterans should be permitted to do so. However, those living in states where marijuana is still prohibited must rely on other forms of treatment.
Some Veterans and Their Families Are Making Their Own Pathways to Change
Many veterans and their family members are fed up with these policies that seem to leave those who served constantly searching for new sources of treatment. One wife of a retired army member spoke out on behalf of her husband.
After 26 years of service in the Army, the woman’s husband was medically retired due to physical and mental injuries he sustained during his military career. When she and her husband visited doctors, the former Army service member was prescribed with the following forms of medications and treatments.
- For the former service member’s tremors, he was prescribed Propranolol
- For his inability to sleep properly, he was prescribed Ambien
- To treat his migraines, he was administered Botox injections, Treximet, and Tramadol
- To treat his damaged endocrine system, he was treated with testosterone injections
The two worried the combination of so many drugs and treatments would lead the former Army member to bigger and more severe problems. Sadly, this is what happened.
Her husband suffered serious kidney problems, gastrointestinal tract erosion, and a fatty liver. Of course, following his medical complications, doctors ordered him to stop taking any medications immediately. From there, they suggested the two move to a state that would allow him to receive marijuana for medicinal use.
After moving to North Carolina, the couple was still denied access to marijuana. The two decided to create their own access to the drug, and the results were positive. Since witnessing her husband recover using marijuana for medicinal purposes, the man’s wife devoted her life to fighting for the legality of medical marijuana use for veterans in need.
Has One of Your Loved Ones Suffered Pains or Injuries? We May Be Able to Help
If you are a wounded or disabled veteran and believe you are entitled to receive disability benefits, our team Las Vegas Veterans Disability lawyers at Shook & Stone can help you! We encourage you to get in touch with our firm right away. At our firm, we work hard to retrieve positive results for our clients by providing aggressive and highly-skill representation. We pay attention to the small details and examine all the elements involved with each case to pursue maximum compensation every time.
Don’t settle for the way you are living now. Let our Las Vegas Veterans Disability attorneys improve your future. We have been outing clients first since 1997!
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