VETERANS SPEAK AND WE BELIEVE THEM
State Journal
Msgt Thomas Vance USAF Ret.
Published: November 9, 2015
Veterans Speak and We Believe Them
A hearing was held in Frankfort Kentucky of the Kentucky Assembly Interim Joint Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection, focusing on Veteran Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. (PTSD)
The Veterans Administration testified that there are 350,000 cases of Veteran PTSD among Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans. Around the same time the Vietnam Veterans Longitudinal study reported 283,000 cases of PTSD among Vietnam Veterans for a total of 633,000 cases of PTSD.
This total does not include Korean, Cold or Gulf war Veterans. Include them and we are easily looking at 3 quarters of a million cases of PTSD among the Veteran population.
Given the VA reported high number of suicides among Veterans and the fact that PTSD sufferers can be driven to extremes of self-destruction and violence by this condition and one can only conclude that we are witnessing a situation of epidemic proportions.
The VA testified in the Kentucky hearing that despite all the drugs and therapies used there has been little success in dealing with this condition and no drug can be said to work for PTSD. Veterans report being overloaded with treatments and enough drugs to choke a horse all with little to no relief.
The lousy success rate at the Veterans Administration has led many Veterans to turn to medical cannabis for relief from PTSD and chronic pain. They report great success and we believe them!
Veterans applying for the New Mexico Medical Marijuana Program report an average of a 75% reduction in their PTSD symptoms when using medical cannabis and many say medical cannabis has saved their lives and we believe them.
read more here
Showing posts with label medical marijuana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label medical marijuana. Show all posts
Monday, November 9, 2015
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
VA Says Pick Pot or Pain Meds, Not Both
Vietnam vet with cancer denied pain medication after testing positive for marijuana
By WSAV Staff
Published: September 9, 2015
That issue is whether veterans should be denied prescription medications because they use marijuana for physical or emotional pain even in states which allow medical marijuana use.
We found out about it when a Vietnam veteran contacted KSNT News.
“I went in to get a refill on my pain medication and they refused to let me have it, because I have marijuana in my blood,” Gary Dixon, Vietnam veteran.
Gary Dixon is a 65-year-old disabled Vietnam veteran. While in Vietnam he was exposed to Agent Orange.
“I hurt, and I hurt from something I got fighting for my country,” says Dixon.
Now he’s got stage four lung cancer, doesn’t have much time left to live and readily admits to smoking marijuana.
read more here
By WSAV Staff
Published: September 9, 2015
Dixon is the latest in the growing number of veterans caught in a change nationwide within the VA.TOPEKA (KSNT) — A nationwide argument between the veterans’ administration and groups which represent the rights of veterans emerged in Topeka Tuesday.
They have to sign an ‘opiate consent’ form which outlines the negative effect of mixing pain killers and marijuana is now required.
Under the new VA guidelines, vets can get their prescriptions filled, or use marijuana, but can’t do both.
That issue is whether veterans should be denied prescription medications because they use marijuana for physical or emotional pain even in states which allow medical marijuana use.
We found out about it when a Vietnam veteran contacted KSNT News.
“I went in to get a refill on my pain medication and they refused to let me have it, because I have marijuana in my blood,” Gary Dixon, Vietnam veteran.
Gary Dixon is a 65-year-old disabled Vietnam veteran. While in Vietnam he was exposed to Agent Orange.
“I hurt, and I hurt from something I got fighting for my country,” says Dixon.
Now he’s got stage four lung cancer, doesn’t have much time left to live and readily admits to smoking marijuana.
read more here
Monday, August 24, 2015
Colorado Doctor Wants Medical Marijuana Approved For Veterans
Doctor Says Board Of Health Approving Medical Pot For Vets With PTSD Is ‘Crucial’
CBS Denver
August 23, 2015
The board voted against adding PTSD to the list of eight other medical conditions that are approved for medicinal marijuana treatment. Board members said there was not enough research to prove that pot helps people with PTSD.
The cost to buy recreational marijuana is a lot more expensive than medical marijuana due to the taxes and sufferers say the quality is lower.
“I was a sniper in the Army, so I saw a lot of combat and I saw a lot of awful things,” veteran Curtis Bean said.
Bean suffers from PTSD from his service overseas and uses pot to treat his symptoms.
read more here
CBS Denver
August 23, 2015
“It is crucial that the Board of Health add PTSD as a qualifying condition for a medical card so that these veterans and other PTSD sufferers can obtain those specialized formulations of marijuana,” Sisley said.DENVER (CBS4) – In July the Colorado Board of Health denied veterans access to medical marijuana, and now veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder are suing the state.
The board voted against adding PTSD to the list of eight other medical conditions that are approved for medicinal marijuana treatment. Board members said there was not enough research to prove that pot helps people with PTSD.
The cost to buy recreational marijuana is a lot more expensive than medical marijuana due to the taxes and sufferers say the quality is lower.
“I was a sniper in the Army, so I saw a lot of combat and I saw a lot of awful things,” veteran Curtis Bean said.
Bean suffers from PTSD from his service overseas and uses pot to treat his symptoms.
read more here
Friday, August 14, 2015
Medical Pot for PTSD Got Veteran Fired?
Veteran with medical pot license fired from hospital
'I was not impaired at work,' says Donna Smith
KOAT ABC News Albuquerque
Aug 13, 2015
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.
A former Presbyterian Health Services employee fired for using medical marijuana was in court Thursday, fighting to get her job back.
Donna Smith has her medical marijuana license, but Presbyterian said she’s violating federal law.
Smith uses medical marijuana to treat her post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in the military for six years.
“As a patient, as a patient advocate, it just feels like it’s a catch 22,” Smith said.
Smith worked at Presbyterian on Harper Drive. She was contracted through an agency in February 2014 as a physician’s assistant, but after four days of being hired, she was let go.
read more here
'I was not impaired at work,' says Donna Smith
KOAT ABC News Albuquerque
Aug 13, 2015
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.
A former Presbyterian Health Services employee fired for using medical marijuana was in court Thursday, fighting to get her job back.
Donna Smith has her medical marijuana license, but Presbyterian said she’s violating federal law.
Smith uses medical marijuana to treat her post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in the military for six years.
“As a patient, as a patient advocate, it just feels like it’s a catch 22,” Smith said.
Smith worked at Presbyterian on Harper Drive. She was contracted through an agency in February 2014 as a physician’s assistant, but after four days of being hired, she was let go.
read more here
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Funds Raised in Tampa For PTSD Medical Marijuana Research
Tampa Cannathon Raises Awareness and Funds for PTSD Research
Marijuana Investor Summit
By: Marguerite Arnold
July 17, 2015
By the time people organize road races to raise money and awareness for a health condition, it is well on its way to the mainstream. In Tampa last weekend, on July 11, 2015, FCCActive, a local non-profit promoting medical cannabis use as part of a healthy lifestyle, organized the state’s first 5K cannabis-themed road race to help veterans and their families understand post-traumatic stress disorder and how to treat it, including with the use of cannabinoids. The event took place near MacDill Air Force Base.
“PTSD is a debilitating illness and it’s for real and it’s a problem,” said Garyn Angel, CEO of Magical Butter, a Port Richey-based company sponsoring the event, told Creative Loafing Tampa, a local zine. “If you watch what’s happened with the suicide rate for veterans, it’s staggering.” Angel’s company manufactures kitchen plant extractors that medical users can use to make cannabutter at home.
While many different kinds of individuals suffer from PTSD, which is essentially the body’s triggering of extreme stress and flight-or-fight mechanisms long after a traumatic event, the vast majority of those suffering the most are the nation’s veterans, who are still routinely banned from using the drug even under a doctor’s care. Furthermore, veterans “convicted” of medical marijuana use can lose other benefits, and of course, can still be arrested for trying to treat a difficult-to-manage and life-long health condition. There is still no state in the country, including Colorado, where users, even for medical purposes, do not face discrimination on the job or the threat of being legally fired for off-the-job, medical use.
Veterans are also on the front lines of this war too. Last year, Princeton University made the news when an 18-year employee, who was also a military veteran, lost his job for being part of the New Jersey medical marijuana program.
“[Veterans] have sacrificed and suffered the most for our freedom. Yet today many of our nation’s veterans lack the freedom to safely and effectively treat the paralyzing effects the invisible scars of battle can leave behind,” said Pete Sessa, COO of the Florida Cannabis Coalition.
read more here
From the Department of Veterans Affairs
Marijuana Investor Summit
By: Marguerite Arnold
July 17, 2015
By the time people organize road races to raise money and awareness for a health condition, it is well on its way to the mainstream. In Tampa last weekend, on July 11, 2015, FCCActive, a local non-profit promoting medical cannabis use as part of a healthy lifestyle, organized the state’s first 5K cannabis-themed road race to help veterans and their families understand post-traumatic stress disorder and how to treat it, including with the use of cannabinoids. The event took place near MacDill Air Force Base.
“PTSD is a debilitating illness and it’s for real and it’s a problem,” said Garyn Angel, CEO of Magical Butter, a Port Richey-based company sponsoring the event, told Creative Loafing Tampa, a local zine. “If you watch what’s happened with the suicide rate for veterans, it’s staggering.” Angel’s company manufactures kitchen plant extractors that medical users can use to make cannabutter at home.
While many different kinds of individuals suffer from PTSD, which is essentially the body’s triggering of extreme stress and flight-or-fight mechanisms long after a traumatic event, the vast majority of those suffering the most are the nation’s veterans, who are still routinely banned from using the drug even under a doctor’s care. Furthermore, veterans “convicted” of medical marijuana use can lose other benefits, and of course, can still be arrested for trying to treat a difficult-to-manage and life-long health condition. There is still no state in the country, including Colorado, where users, even for medical purposes, do not face discrimination on the job or the threat of being legally fired for off-the-job, medical use.
Veterans are also on the front lines of this war too. Last year, Princeton University made the news when an 18-year employee, who was also a military veteran, lost his job for being part of the New Jersey medical marijuana program.
“[Veterans] have sacrificed and suffered the most for our freedom. Yet today many of our nation’s veterans lack the freedom to safely and effectively treat the paralyzing effects the invisible scars of battle can leave behind,” said Pete Sessa, COO of the Florida Cannabis Coalition.
read more here
From the Department of Veterans Affairs
Marijuana as a Treatment for PTSD
The belief that marijuana can be used to treat PTSD is limited to anecdotal reports from individuals with PTSD who say that the drug helps with their symptoms. There have been no randomized controlled trials, a necessary "gold standard" for determining efficacy. Administration of oral CBD has been shown to decrease anxiety in those with and without clinical anxiety (18). This work has led to the development and testing of CBD treatments for individuals with social anxiety (19), but not yet among individuals with PTSD. With respect to THC, one open trial of 10 participants with PTSD showed THC was safe and well tolerated and resulted in decreases in hyperarousal symptoms (20).
Read more from the VA on Medical Marijuana here
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Colorado Rejects Medical Pot for PTSD?
Colorado rejects medical marijuana for PTSD treatment
Reuters
DENVER | BY KEITH COFFMAN
July 16, 2015
While Colorado has allowed the use of medical marijuana to treat various ailments since 2001, the state's health board has three times refused to put PTSD on its approved list. A similar proposal failed in the state legislature last year.
The spokesman, Mark Salley, said the Colorado Board of Health voted 6-2 to reject a petition for PTSD to be included as a "debilitating condition" that can be treated with medical pot.
read more here
Reuters
DENVER | BY KEITH COFFMAN
July 16, 2015
"In my opinion, the board sent a message to patients that they just don’t matter," said Teri Robnett, director of the Cannabis Patients Alliance and member of a board advisory panel that recommended the inclusion of PTSD.Colorado health officials on Wednesday rejected a bid by medical marijuana advocates to put cannabis on a list of approved treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder, an agency spokesman said.
While Colorado has allowed the use of medical marijuana to treat various ailments since 2001, the state's health board has three times refused to put PTSD on its approved list. A similar proposal failed in the state legislature last year.
The spokesman, Mark Salley, said the Colorado Board of Health voted 6-2 to reject a petition for PTSD to be included as a "debilitating condition" that can be treated with medical pot.
read more here
Sunday, July 12, 2015
PTSD Pot Pen Vapor Relief For Veterans
Olympia vets want their ailing comrades to switch from pharmaceuticals to pot
The Olympian
BY ANDY HOBBS
Staff writer
July 10, 2015
Andrew Collins no longer has a cocktail of 17 prescriptions coursing through his body.
The Army combat veteran stared death in the face while serving two tours of Iraq in the 2000s. He now battles post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his wartime experiences.
The Olympia veteran has tried medications, meditation and hypnosis while adapting to the stresses of life in the civilian world. But more than any other treatment, Collins says marijuana has helped him cope with the psychological trauma he carries around — trauma that at times has filled his head with aggression and suicidal thoughts.
“I smoke a joint and the thoughts are gone,” said Collins, 30.
He said medical marijuana has replaced most of those government-approved prescriptions he had been taking. “I was overmedicated.”
Collins has launched a support group called Twenty22Many (pronounced “twenty-two too many”), which is focused on reducing suicide rates among military veterans with help from medical marijuana.
read more here
The Olympian
BY ANDY HOBBS
Staff writer
July 10, 2015
The Department of Veterans Affairs reports that “PTSD has been found to be a risk factor” for suicidal thoughts, which are often triggered by combat-related guilt that “can often overpower the emotional coping capacities of veterans.”
Patrick Seifert of Rainier Xpress in Olympia has created a vapor penspecifically for veteran medical marijuana users. COURTESY PHOTO
Andrew Collins no longer has a cocktail of 17 prescriptions coursing through his body.
The Army combat veteran stared death in the face while serving two tours of Iraq in the 2000s. He now battles post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his wartime experiences.
The Olympia veteran has tried medications, meditation and hypnosis while adapting to the stresses of life in the civilian world. But more than any other treatment, Collins says marijuana has helped him cope with the psychological trauma he carries around — trauma that at times has filled his head with aggression and suicidal thoughts.
“I smoke a joint and the thoughts are gone,” said Collins, 30.
He said medical marijuana has replaced most of those government-approved prescriptions he had been taking. “I was overmedicated.”
Collins has launched a support group called Twenty22Many (pronounced “twenty-two too many”), which is focused on reducing suicide rates among military veterans with help from medical marijuana.
read more here
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
PTSD Marine Faces Prison for Pot
UPDATE
UPDATE: Charges Dropped Against Okla. Veteran Treating His PTSD With Marijuana
Veteran With PTSD Faces Up To Life In Prison For Growing Marijuana
BuzzFeed
Claudia Koerner
BuzzFeed News Reporter
Jul. 7, 2015, at 1:28 a.m.
That’s when the 33-year-old father of two began growing marijuana in his backyard to treat his PTSD symptoms, his wife, Whitney Lewandowski, told BuzzFeed News.
The couple and their two young sons were living outside Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in June 2014 as his honorable discharge from the Marines processed. Finding the best mix of medication for his mental health was a process of trial and error, Whitney Lewandowski said, and one Sunday night, there was an “issue.”
“We called for help,” she said.
Comanche County Sheriff’s deputies responded around 10 p.m. to a report that Kris Lewandowski had been chasing his wife with a knife. As he surrendered to authorities, they found six marijuana plants in the garden.
Local media called it a “major pot bust.”
“When we get there and we find out we have marijuana there that’s being grown, it seems to get worse,” Sheriff Kenny Stradley told KSWO-TV. “And then with children present this is a bad situation gone worse for the whole entire family.”
Though the amount of pot growing at the Lewandowski home would in many states be seen as appropriate, Oklahoma law has no provision for medical marijuana. Cultivation of any amount of the drug carries a sentence of between two years and life in prison — among the strictest penalties in the country.
UPDATE: Charges Dropped Against Okla. Veteran Treating His PTSD With Marijuana
Veteran With PTSD Faces Up To Life In Prison For Growing Marijuana
BuzzFeed
Claudia Koerner
BuzzFeed News Reporter
Jul. 7, 2015, at 1:28 a.m.
A former Marine is facing a severe sentence for growing marijuana in his Oklahoma backyard for medicinal use. His wife says the situation has been “devastating.”
Whitney Lewandowski
Kris Lewandowski had survived tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as a Marine, but he feared the side effects of the dozen pills prescribed by a doctor would kill him.
That’s when the 33-year-old father of two began growing marijuana in his backyard to treat his PTSD symptoms, his wife, Whitney Lewandowski, told BuzzFeed News.
The couple and their two young sons were living outside Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in June 2014 as his honorable discharge from the Marines processed. Finding the best mix of medication for his mental health was a process of trial and error, Whitney Lewandowski said, and one Sunday night, there was an “issue.”
“We called for help,” she said.
Comanche County Sheriff’s deputies responded around 10 p.m. to a report that Kris Lewandowski had been chasing his wife with a knife. As he surrendered to authorities, they found six marijuana plants in the garden.
Local media called it a “major pot bust.”
“When we get there and we find out we have marijuana there that’s being grown, it seems to get worse,” Sheriff Kenny Stradley told KSWO-TV. “And then with children present this is a bad situation gone worse for the whole entire family.”
Though the amount of pot growing at the Lewandowski home would in many states be seen as appropriate, Oklahoma law has no provision for medical marijuana. Cultivation of any amount of the drug carries a sentence of between two years and life in prison — among the strictest penalties in the country.
Kris Lewandowski’s next hearing is scheduled for July 22, and in the meantime, his wife is talking with more lawyers in Oklahoma, raising money for his defense, and petitioning Gov. Mary Fallin for clemency.
read more here
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Researchers Can Study Medical Marijuana For PTSD Veterans
White House to Let Researchers Study Medical Marijuana for PTSD
Military.com
by Bryant Jordan
Jun 23, 2015
The White House has lifted a major obstacle long standing in the way of studies into the use of pot to treat victims of post-traumatic stress disorder and other ailments.
The Health and Human Services Department has published in the Federal Register its announcement eliminating Public Health Service reviews of marijuana research projects not funded by the government.
"The significance is that the Obama Administration is making formal a decision that they made informally more than a year ago," said Rick Doblin, executive director of Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, which plans to conduct a study whose test subjects include 76 veterans.
The Veterans Affairs Department estimates that between 11 and 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans suffer from PTSD. For veterans of the Persian Gulf War, the estimate is 12 percent, and for Vietnam veterans, 15 percent.
The Public Health Service granted review approval to the association in March 2014, but also noted in its letter that what it had previously set down as requirements for approval were now suggestions.
The latest move, Doblin said, signals "the Obama Administration is open to ending federal obstruction of privately-funded medical marijuana drug development research."
read more here
Military.com
by Bryant Jordan
Jun 23, 2015
The move helps clear the way for an oft-delayed study into the use of marijuana in treating veterans with PTSD, Doblin said.
The White House has lifted a major obstacle long standing in the way of studies into the use of pot to treat victims of post-traumatic stress disorder and other ailments.
The Health and Human Services Department has published in the Federal Register its announcement eliminating Public Health Service reviews of marijuana research projects not funded by the government.
"The significance is that the Obama Administration is making formal a decision that they made informally more than a year ago," said Rick Doblin, executive director of Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, which plans to conduct a study whose test subjects include 76 veterans.
The Veterans Affairs Department estimates that between 11 and 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans suffer from PTSD. For veterans of the Persian Gulf War, the estimate is 12 percent, and for Vietnam veterans, 15 percent.
The Public Health Service granted review approval to the association in March 2014, but also noted in its letter that what it had previously set down as requirements for approval were now suggestions.
The latest move, Doblin said, signals "the Obama Administration is open to ending federal obstruction of privately-funded medical marijuana drug development research."
read more here
Mom Fights For Medical Marijuana After Losing Son To PTSD
Camp Hill mom cries for legalization of medical pot after son dies from PTSD
FOX 43 News
BY REBECCA SOLOMON
JUNE 23, 2015
A Camp Hill, Cumberland County mother is standing up for medical marijuana. Her son suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He eventually took his own life.
Donnamarie Feedman joined dozens of supporters of the drug at a rally in Harrisburg. The drug remains illegal in the Commonwealth.
At the rally, Corporal Barrett Thompson addressed the crowd by showing pictures of depressed army veterans. He said, “These pictures represent the hell I went through and veterans go through now.”
Corporal Thompson returned from serving three tours in Iraq with PTSD and over 40 prescribed medications. Unlike Thompson, Donnamarie’s son will never share his story.
She says, “At the height of his sickness, the VA had him on 21 pills per day. A lot of them were black box label pills and the only thing that helped him was smoking marijuana.”
read more here
FOX 43 News
BY REBECCA SOLOMON
JUNE 23, 2015
A Camp Hill, Cumberland County mother is standing up for medical marijuana. Her son suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He eventually took his own life.
Donnamarie Feedman joined dozens of supporters of the drug at a rally in Harrisburg. The drug remains illegal in the Commonwealth.
At the rally, Corporal Barrett Thompson addressed the crowd by showing pictures of depressed army veterans. He said, “These pictures represent the hell I went through and veterans go through now.”
Corporal Thompson returned from serving three tours in Iraq with PTSD and over 40 prescribed medications. Unlike Thompson, Donnamarie’s son will never share his story.
She says, “At the height of his sickness, the VA had him on 21 pills per day. A lot of them were black box label pills and the only thing that helped him was smoking marijuana.”
read more here
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Unban VA Doctors From Talking About Medical Marijuana
This is one more thing that needs to be fixed. VA doctors have said for years they would rather prescribe medical pot over most of the medications they are supposed to write for veterans but they can't even if it is legal in the state. They need their hands untied to help veterans feel better and be allowed to stop numbing them.
The Fight to Get Medical Marijuana to Veterans Just Got a Big Boost in the Senate
Policy.Mic
By Gregory Krieg
May 22, 2015
"Is medical marijuana right for me?"
American war veterans can ask that question, but doctors with the Department of Veterans Affairs are banned by the federal government from answering — even in states where the drug is legal. But that could soon change, thanks to a historic vote Thursday in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
By an 18-to-12 margin, senators approved an amendment to a massive military spending bill that would allow VA physicians to recommend the use of marijuana to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and other serious injuries and conditions.
According to the Hill, co-sponsors Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) tacked the provision on to a $77.6 billion construction and veterans benefits bill. A similar measure was narrowly defeated in the House of Representatives on April 30. Negotiators from both chambers will have to hammer out a compromise to reconcile the difference.
read more here
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Montel Williams Fighting For Medical Marijuana in Missouri
Montel Williams to speak for Missouri medical marijuana bill
By The Associated Press
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
JEFFERSON CITY (AP) — Medical marijuana access in Missouri would become a reality under a bill sponsored by a Republican representative and supported by television personality Montel Williams.
Williams will testify in support of a bill to allow limited medical marijuana access for patients through a state-monitored distribution program at a House committee hearing Monday.
The measure would set up a process for patients to register for access to marijuana for cancer, HIV, post-traumatic stress disorder and other medical conditions.
Williams said the legislation could be a model for the rest of the country to allow access to medical marijuana. Williams, who starred in the syndicated talk show “The Montel Williams Show,” has multiple sclerosis and uses marijuana to treat some of his symptoms. He lives in New York and has advocated for medical marijuana across the country.
read more here
By The Associated Press
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
JEFFERSON CITY (AP) — Medical marijuana access in Missouri would become a reality under a bill sponsored by a Republican representative and supported by television personality Montel Williams.
Williams will testify in support of a bill to allow limited medical marijuana access for patients through a state-monitored distribution program at a House committee hearing Monday.
The measure would set up a process for patients to register for access to marijuana for cancer, HIV, post-traumatic stress disorder and other medical conditions.
Williams said the legislation could be a model for the rest of the country to allow access to medical marijuana. Williams, who starred in the syndicated talk show “The Montel Williams Show,” has multiple sclerosis and uses marijuana to treat some of his symptoms. He lives in New York and has advocated for medical marijuana across the country.
read more here
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Veterans Equal Access Act Will Allow PTSD Veterans Medical Marijuana
While I cannot offer names of mental health professionals treating veterans with PTSD, most I know say they would rather write prescriptions for medical marijuana than most of the drugs they are giving their patients. Even if it is legal in the state where these veterans live, the VA doctors cannot prescribe it.
This is a good idea when other medications have failed miserably. In this case some members of congress got it right.
This is a good idea when other medications have failed miserably. In this case some members of congress got it right.
"Veterans Equal Access Act" would allow VA physicians to discuss medical marijuana with their patients without federal censure
Washington, DC – (ENEWSPF)
November 20, 2014
U.S. House Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), along with ten bipartisan Congressional cosponsors introduced the "Veterans Equal Access Act" (VEAA) today, marking a concerted federal effort to allow our country's veterans to become medical marijuana patients in states where it's legal. The VEAA would simply allow Veterans Affairs (VA) physicians to discuss and recommend medical marijuana to their patients, a right enjoyed by physicians outside of the VA system.
"Post traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury are just as damaging and harmful as any injuries that are visible from the outside," said Blumenauer, the bill's author. "Sometimes even more so because of the devastating effect they can have on a veteran's family. We should be allowing these wounded warriors access to the medicine that will help them survive and thrive, including medical marijuana, not treating them like criminals and forcing them into the shadows. It's shameful."
The VEAA is cosponsored by a balanced mix of ten members on each side of the aisle, as well as a range of members from states that have, and still have not, legalized marijuana for medical use: Dina Titus (D-NV), Justin Amash (R-MI), Paul Broun (R-GA), Walter Jones (R-NC), Thomas Massie (R-KY), Sam Farr (D-CA), Jared Polis (D-CO), Beto O'Rourke (D-TX), Steve Stockman (R-TX) and Steve Cohen (D-TN).
read more here
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Florida Veterans Need to Consider VA Rules on Medical Marijuana
I support medical marijuana and hope it passes in Florida. Many people say that "Oh, it will get abused" so they don't plan on voting for it. Common sense should have shown them a long time ago that most things offering benefits to others end up getting abused, especially things intended to be medication.
The problem I have with this is there are important questions no one seems to be asking. The biggest one is, if marijuana is still illegal in the eyes of the federal government, then what happens when a veteran gets a prescription for it from a private doctor? Will the VA view it as legal or illegal when they take blood and urine tests for other things?
There are many states where medical marijuana is legal but the VA is a federal entity and must follow rules of the federal government. I haven't read anything about this being addressed.
They will not provide it or pay for it.
One more thing, don't bring it with you on VA property.
The problem I have with this is there are important questions no one seems to be asking. The biggest one is, if marijuana is still illegal in the eyes of the federal government, then what happens when a veteran gets a prescription for it from a private doctor? Will the VA view it as legal or illegal when they take blood and urine tests for other things?
There are many states where medical marijuana is legal but the VA is a federal entity and must follow rules of the federal government. I haven't read anything about this being addressed.
Viewpoint: Suffering? Don’t Move to FloridaI had to do a search to find the answer. Here it is.
Pensacola News Journal
Jon Mills
October 25, 2014
Retired Air Force Capt. Jeff Lahman served 25 years in the Air Force including time in special ops. He ended up with a series of injuries and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
He and his wife, also an Air Force officer, lived in Arizona. He was prescribed a large dose of oxycodone and other pain killers. Those prescription medicines brought him to a new low. A doctor suggested he try medical marijuana. He did and it changed his life. He was himself again. His wife saw the difference. Just last year he moved to Florida. He is a strong supporter of Amendment 2 because it would allow him to legally consult a Florida doctor about using medical marijuana.
Cathy Jordan was diagnosed with ALS in 1986 and given five years to live. She and her husband, Bob, moved from Delaware to Florida hoping a milder climate would help her condition. Doctors offered every prescription possible. Nothing worked. She began hoarding drugs with thoughts of suicide. She tried medical marijuana with the help of Bob and it worked. It acts as a muscle relaxer, anti-depressant and stimulates her appetite. In 2013, six officers entered her home and confiscated her medical marijuana.
read more here
Department of Veterans Affairs VHA DIRECTIVE 2011-004
Veterans Health Administration
Washington, DC 20420 January 31, 2011
ACCESS TO CLINICAL PROGRAMS FOR VETERANS
PARTICIPATING IN STATE-APPROVED MARIJUANA PROGRAMS
They will not provide it or pay for it.
(2) If a Veteran presents an authorization for marijuana to a VA provider or pharmacist, VA will not provide marijuana nor will it pay for it to be provided by a non-VA entity.
One more thing, don't bring it with you on VA property.
NOTE:
Possession of marijuana, even for authorized medical reasons, by Veterans while on VA property is in violation of VA regulation 1.218(a)(7) and places them at risk for prosecution under the Controlled Substances Act.
Monday, September 29, 2014
PTSD Veterans Moving to Colorado for Cannabis Relief
Colorado cannabis giveaway attracts about 1,000 veterans
Nearly 1,000 veterans stopped by a Colorado Springs hotel to learn about cannabis as an alternative to the plethora of prescription medication they take to subside pain from injuries and post-traumatic stress syndrome sustained during war.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
BY NICOLE HENSLEY
Published: Sunday, September 28, 2014
Marijuana seeds were just one of the items given away for free to Colorado veterans seeking alternative medication to treat physical and mental trauma.
The Saturday event attracted about 1,000 veterans to a Colorado Springs hotel to get a taste of cannabis products such as cookies in lieu of pills, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette newspaper.
“It isn’t going to hurt them as much as the prescription drugs,” Roger Martin, an Army veteran and director of Operation Grow4Vets, the nonprofit responsible for organizing the event, told the Gazette. “I just need something to take the pain away during the day.”
Nearly 20% of soldiers are coming home from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome, according to Veteran’s Affairs statistics. That number is even higher for those who served in Vietnam, which 30% of the veterans also suffer from the anxiety disorder.
read more here
Nearly 1,000 veterans stopped by a Colorado Springs hotel to learn about cannabis as an alternative to the plethora of prescription medication they take to subside pain from injuries and post-traumatic stress syndrome sustained during war.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
BY NICOLE HENSLEY
Published: Sunday, September 28, 2014
Marijuana seeds were just one of the items given away for free to Colorado veterans seeking alternative medication to treat physical and mental trauma.
The Saturday event attracted about 1,000 veterans to a Colorado Springs hotel to get a taste of cannabis products such as cookies in lieu of pills, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette newspaper.
“It isn’t going to hurt them as much as the prescription drugs,” Roger Martin, an Army veteran and director of Operation Grow4Vets, the nonprofit responsible for organizing the event, told the Gazette. “I just need something to take the pain away during the day.”
Nearly 20% of soldiers are coming home from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome, according to Veteran’s Affairs statistics. That number is even higher for those who served in Vietnam, which 30% of the veterans also suffer from the anxiety disorder.
read more here
Thursday, September 25, 2014
PTSD Veteran Lost VA Benefit in Move Between States
After 4 tours Army veteran had what he needed from the VA. He even had financial help under Caregivers bill from Congress so his wife was paid to take care of him. I know that sounds strange but a few years ago that is what happened for OEF and OIF veteran families but not other veterans.
Where did his story go wrong? When he moved from Tennessee to Colorado so he could use medical pot to help with PTSD. In one state he qualified for a Caregiver but in another, poof, he didn't anymore.
Where did his story go wrong? When he moved from Tennessee to Colorado so he could use medical pot to help with PTSD. In one state he qualified for a Caregiver but in another, poof, he didn't anymore.
Army veteran trying to get help from PTSD
KRDO.com
Greg Miller
Multimedia Journalist
Sep 24, 2014
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.
Jerry Hamilton was deployed in the army four times in nine years.
“I was in numerous explosions, we got mortared, we were targeted on a daily basis, in numerous explosions,” Jerry Hamilton said.
He's been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, but his family thinks it could be something more.
"What the hell is wrong with my husband? What's going on? What is this? This is not just PTSD!,” Cissie Hamilton said.
What started as a small facial tick has led to seizures, Tourette syndrome, body shocks and dementia symptoms.
Eventually he and his wife qualified for the VA's highest level of caregiver assistance.
So his wife quit her job to stay with him.
The drugs the VA prescribed alleviated his symptoms somewhat, but not enough, as you can see from a video the family posted to Facebook.
read more here
Monday, June 30, 2014
Texas veterans fight for medical marijuana
Seems as if everyone is making money off veterans suffering with PTSD. Drug companies make money off medications. Private doctors make money off the overflow of patients the VA doesn't have time to see. Charities make a lot of money off raising funds to raise awareness and some of them even do the work to raise their spirits and help them heal instead of putting money first. With medical marijuana, it is more of the same. Does it work for some? Yes, it does.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta comes out in support of medical marijuana for PTSD after many years of being against it. He studied the research done and stopped listening to people talking without a clue.
Medical Marijuana helps veterans calm down and relax. Much like meditation and yoga help along with talk therapies, it gets the pressure off for a while.
Experiments in animals show that tetrahydrocannabinol, the chemical that gives marijuana its feel-good qualities, acts on a system in the brain that is "critical for fear and anxiety modulation," says Andrew Holmes, a researcher at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. But he and other brain scientists caution that marijuana has serious drawbacks as a potential treatment for PTSD.
The drawback is that this cannot be the only thing used to treat PTSD, especially PTSD caused by Combat which is totally different than any other category of causes. As there are different levels, there are also different causes but one thing remains constant in all PTSD cases. It has to be a triple approach treating the mind, body and spirit. Leave one out and you don't have healing. Leave out the spirit and you have numbing.
Some military veterans say marijuana Is saving lives
My FOX Houston
By Alexander Supgul
Digital Content Manager
Updated: Jun 30, 2014 3:58 PM EDT
Veterans say marijuana is saving lives, but here in Texas, smoking a joint to treat post traumatic stress disorder makes them criminals. Some hope our war heroes will play a role in changing minds at the state capitol.
Leaving combat experiences behind is tough.
"I don't believe you can go through something like that and not be affected in some way," said a veteran named Josh.
Josh did three tours as an Army sniper. He's been shot at seen buddies killed and had to dodge grenades. His new battle is back in Houston, fighting sleeplessness, anxiety and anger.
"If people are doing something stupid on the roads, which is often, I lose it. Sometimes I would do that in front of my kids. I could tell they were like, 'That's not like daddy,'" he said.
Desperate, Josh has found relief in pot twice a day. The one thing he says helps treat his PTSD makes him a criminal in Texas.
"That's my medicine. It gets me through the day. I don't want to say I wouldn't be able to survive without it, but I'm a lot better of a person."
If it weren't for marijuana, Josh says he'd look like the vet in this picture, drowning in a sea of prescribed pills.
"Over and over, Sally, the people I talk to say they felt like a pilled up zombie. 'I wanted to get my life back, and marijuana helped me get my life back,'" said William Martin, director of drug policy at Rice University's Baker Institute.
Martin interviewed several veterans for an article in June's Texas Monthly.
read more here
My advice on this is simple. Talk to your doctor if your medication is not working for you. Your system is not the same as your buddies. If you are self medicating with drugs or drinking, stop. It is not helping even though for a time you think it makes you feel better. If medical pot is legal in your state, get a prescription from your doctor, don't just buy one.
If you are thinking it will solve all your problems, it won't. You need to take care of the whole you. Take care of your body by doing physical things, walking, swimming, running, yoga and meditation. Take care of your spirit as well because the weight on your spirit is doing the most damage. Find forgiveness for yourself and anyone else you believe harmed you. Find peace and work to hold onto it.
Learn all you can about what PTSD is and why you have it because it comes from the strength of your emotional foundation. That same ability within you allowing you to risk your life for someone else is what has allowed you to feel as much pain as you do. It was not out of weakness, but out of strength.
If what you are doing is not working, don't give up. Keep trying to find what works for you.
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Iraq Vet with PTSD Fired For Medical Marijuana
Jail officer fired over medical marijuana
KRQE
By Gabrielle Burkhart
Published: June 13, 2014
ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - An Albuquerque man said he was fired from his corrections officer job at the Metro Detention Center because of his medical marijuana prescription.
The Iraq war vet said he was given medical marijuana to treat his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In a lawsuit that’s now reached federal court, he said when the jail found out, he was canned, which his lawyer argues is against the law.
The former jail employee’s attorney told KRQE News 13, that even the fact that the jail tested his client for marijuana is a violation of his rights. However, jail officials say using marijuana as an employee, is a violation of policy.
Augustine Stanley was fired from his job as a corrections officer at MDC last year. The Army Lieutenant and war vet tested positive for marijuana. His lawyer, now representing Stanley in a lawsuit against Bernalillo County said Stanley has a legal medical marijuana card to treat PTSD.
“It’s demonstrative of a lot of people’s cases,” said Paul Livingston, Stanley’s attorney. “And a lot of people work for the state or the county or the city and need to have or want to have a medical marijuana card.”
MDC jail officials said if an employee uses marijuana, it’s a violation of their drug policy, adding, Stanley didn’t self report any prescription drug medication before the test.
But, Livingston claims state law protects the privacy of medical marijuana card holders.
read more here
KRQE
By Gabrielle Burkhart
Published: June 13, 2014
ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - An Albuquerque man said he was fired from his corrections officer job at the Metro Detention Center because of his medical marijuana prescription.
The Iraq war vet said he was given medical marijuana to treat his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In a lawsuit that’s now reached federal court, he said when the jail found out, he was canned, which his lawyer argues is against the law.
The former jail employee’s attorney told KRQE News 13, that even the fact that the jail tested his client for marijuana is a violation of his rights. However, jail officials say using marijuana as an employee, is a violation of policy.
Augustine Stanley was fired from his job as a corrections officer at MDC last year. The Army Lieutenant and war vet tested positive for marijuana. His lawyer, now representing Stanley in a lawsuit against Bernalillo County said Stanley has a legal medical marijuana card to treat PTSD.
“It’s demonstrative of a lot of people’s cases,” said Paul Livingston, Stanley’s attorney. “And a lot of people work for the state or the county or the city and need to have or want to have a medical marijuana card.”
MDC jail officials said if an employee uses marijuana, it’s a violation of their drug policy, adding, Stanley didn’t self report any prescription drug medication before the test.
But, Livingston claims state law protects the privacy of medical marijuana card holders.
read more here
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Feds allow study on Pot for PTSD
Associated Press
March 17, 2014
WASHINGTON - The federal government has signed off on a long-delayed study looking at marijuana as a treatment for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, a development that drug researchers are hailing as a major shift in U.S. policy.
The Department of Health and Human Services' decision surprised marijuana advocates who have struggled for decades to secure federal approval for research into the drug's medical uses.
The proposal from the University of Arizona was long ago cleared by the Food and Drug Administration, but researchers had been unable to purchase marijuana from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The agency's Mississippi research farm is the only federally-sanctioned source of the drug.
In a letter last week, HHS cleared the purchase of medical marijuana by the studies' chief financial backer, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, which supports medical research and legalization of marijuana and other drugs.
The Veterans Administration estimates between 11 and 20 percent of soldiers who served in the recent Iraq and Afghanistan wars have PTSD, which can cause anxiety, flashbacks, depression and sleep deprivation.
About 7.7 million American adults are estimated to have the disorder.
Physicians have long speculated that marijuana could be used to calm parts of the brain linked to overstimulation and anxiety, though little formal research has been conducted. read more here
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Nevada health dept. allows treating PTSD with marijuana
Nevada health dept. allows treating PTSD with marijuana
Reported by: Sergio Avila
March 12, 2014
LAS VEGAS (KSNV and MyNews3) -- Medical marijuana can be prescribed to treat a variety of symptoms, but it's still widely unknown if it can help veterans.
Earlier this year, the state health department added post-traumatic stress disorder to the list of conditions that qualify for medical marijuana.
One veteran made it his mission to get PTSD added to that list.
Dr. David Udy petitioned state health officials to add PTSD to the list.
He said his persistence paid off after just a couple of months.
Udy is confined to a wheel chair after suffering devastating effects from agent orange, a herbicide our troops were exposed to during the Vietnam war.
"That's where most of my physical problems come from," Udy said.
read more here
Reported by: Sergio Avila
March 12, 2014
LAS VEGAS (KSNV and MyNews3) -- Medical marijuana can be prescribed to treat a variety of symptoms, but it's still widely unknown if it can help veterans.
Earlier this year, the state health department added post-traumatic stress disorder to the list of conditions that qualify for medical marijuana.
One veteran made it his mission to get PTSD added to that list.
Dr. David Udy petitioned state health officials to add PTSD to the list.
He said his persistence paid off after just a couple of months.
Udy is confined to a wheel chair after suffering devastating effects from agent orange, a herbicide our troops were exposed to during the Vietnam war.
"That's where most of my physical problems come from," Udy said.
read more here
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