Military Veterans call for legalization of Medical Marijuana

Posted by Sagar Satapathy on November 12, 2015.

The military veterans in the United States have joined hands to give a call for legalization of medical marijuana. They gathered at a parade in Texas on Wednesday, seeking right to treat their war wounds (physical and psychological) with medical marijuana. It can be noted that marijuana remains illegal under federal law and is allowed in Texas with strict riders.

The protest march was organized on the Veterans Day. Only a day before, the U.S. Senate had approved a measure allowing federal Veterans Affairs doctors to prescribe medical marijuana in the 23 states and the District of Columbia that have legalized it.

Texas currently allows the use of a non-psychoactive marijuana oil product for the treatment of severe seizures. The veterans, however, want that to be expanded. Texas has the second most populous state after California in terms of military veteran population. It has 1.7 million veterans. The Vets believe that legalization could help them to recover from serious ailments such as long-term pain and psychological disorders.

Several former service personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, had joined the Veteran's Day parade in Austin on Wednesday. They announced the launch of 'Operation Trapped', a campaign to raise awareness of their hope for legalization of medical marijuana in both edible and smoke forms.

The veterans are associated with the Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy (TRMP). They feel trapped by pharmaceutical drugs and want access to medical marijuana instead of addictive painkillers and psychotropic medication. A Texas medical marijuana bill introduced this year failed in the House Public Health Committee. However, veterans are still hopeful that their initiative would receive tremendous support in the coming days.

comments powered by Disqus