Veteran Denied Medication Due To Medical Marijuana

[Robert Celt]

A local veteran says he's being denied critical pain medication by the VA because he uses medical marijuana. Federal officials still see marijuana, even medical related, as illegal even though Nevada and 22 other states have approved its use.

The VA has been giving 63-year-old Mike Potter pain meds like morphine and hydrocodone for years.

Like many veterans, Potter also uses medical marijuana to treat anxiety.

Suddenly last week, the VA put its foot down demanding that Potter stop using marijuana or get cut off from his pain medications.

After serving in the United States Marines, Potter says he's been open and honest with his VA doctors about using medical marijuana to treat his anxiety and PTSD. He says VA doctors never seemed to have a problem with it.

"And even my doctor said, there's no problem you got a card, you won't have any problem," Potter said.

The helpful effects of marijuana are such a big part of Potter's life, he's invested thousands of dollars in equipment to legally grow his own and attended conferences to learn how to use it in his cooking.

"I can use the extra virgin olive oil with the marijuana, infuse it and use it to cook your fish and chicken opposed to using straight oil," Potter adds.

Potter now has two choices, quit marijuana or go outside the VA and find a private doctor for which he will have to pay.

The VA responded to Potter's situation saying their official policy does 'not' prohibit veterans who use medical marijuana from also getting pain killers from the VA, but each doctor makes their own decision.

Potter recently switched doctors at the VA, which might explain things.

Right now, Representative Joe Heck is co-sponsor of House Bill 667 that would help bridge the gap between veterans in medical marijuana states and VA docs who still consider marijuana illegal.

News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Veteran Denied Medication Due To Medical Marijuana
Author: Paul Joncich
Contact: Las Vegas Now
Photo Credit: None found
Website: Las Vegas Now

 

[Radogast]

One (more) bad doctor is not a problem with the whole VA.

The VA responded to Potter’s situation saying their official policy does ‘not’ prohibit veterans who use medical marijuana from also getting pain killers from the VA, but each doctor makes their own decision.

Potter recently switched doctors at the VA, which might explain things

 

[OlderGrower]

Ask anyone in government if they support the troops and every single one of them will claim "Yes of course I support the troops!" but the truth of the matter is, they could care less, because if they did support the troops they would not allow this type of thing to happen, they would push a bill through the house and senate to make sure every Vet was allowed to use any medication that helped them. Apparently politicians get pharmaceutical companies and Veterans confused, because the truth of the matter is, they support pharmaceutical companies not the troops. I only wish the media, any media, would call the politicians out onto the carpet on these issues. When a politician claims they support the troops ask them, since they claim to support the troops would they be willing to write and champion a bill to allow them any and all medication needed to give them relief.
The constant lying from politicians sickens me, but what sickens me even more is when journalist who know they are lying, will never call them out and make them take a stand. They are nothing more then enablers.

It is time our government took a stand and supported our troops. Come to think of it, it is time for our government to take a stand and support ALL Americans and change MJ from schedule 1 to where it rightfully belongs. MJ does have medical properties, and is beneficial to not just Veterans but for every American who chooses not to pump their bodies full of opiates and other man made drugs.

 

[Radogast]

+reps. Well said Olderbrother.

Your ideas are worth 100 politician's worth of ideas.

 

[morsap]

I have cervical and lumbar pain and have for years been on opioids. Oxycontin being the last one. Last year, my Primary Care Doctor let it be known to the pain clinic I was going to, that I also had a medical marijuana card. The pain clinic doctor confronted me and made me make a choice. I chose MMJ. I've never looked back but it was Hell getting off the Oxycontin. On a recent program (Drugs) I watched as almost all hands went up when a Heroin recovery group was asked "who started drug use on opioids?" I'm just glad I've been able to make the decisions over my health issues and now am a strictly MMJ patient.
GIVE OUR VETERANS WHAT THEY NEED, CONGRESS. IT CAN ONLY COME FROM YOU FOR THEM! I'VE GOT AN IDEA; LET'S TAKE AWAY CONGRESSIONAL OPIOIDS IF THEY SMOKE POT. YOU JUST KNOW THEY DO.

 

[BonzaSeedBank]

I have to agree with what Bernie Sanders said about Veterans. He said you can spend all this money to send them to war but when they come back, there no money for them and that isn't right at all or even make sense.

My father-in-law says the VA hospital where he goes there is a waiting list just to get an appt and then when they get you in there they over medicate you. Its really sad.

David

 

[BrokrnEyes]

Hold up, I thought that the Fed so that they won't ring go after anyone anymore for medical marijuana for at least the next year. How can a VA doctor even legally say get off the pot or go find your scripts somewhere else? That would be the equivalent of a doctor saying that they're not going to prescribe insulin to a diabetic who eats a ice cream now on then or refuses to see them because they smoke cigarettes.

 

[Radogast]

Hold up, I thought that the Fed so that they won't ring go after anyone anymore for medical marijuana for at least the next year. How can a VA doctor even legally say get off the pot or go find your scripts somewhere else? That would be the equivalent of a doctor saying that they're not going to prescribe insulin to a diabetic who eats a ice cream now on then or refuses to see them because they smoke cigarettes.

Because a doctor can recommend a treatment regimen that he believes is best for the patient - and whether medical marijuana is part of that treatment regimen.... a doctor can legally chose not to prescribe insuin to a diabetic (In many type 2 diabetes patients, insulin would be a very bad choice of treatment.) ..... This is the INDIVIDUAL DOCTOR'S CHOICE not a federal mandate.

 

[mlang52]

Yer, Radogast,
It is the intent of the law and not the letter of the law that matters! The diabetic who loses his medication because he cannot follow the diet, is in a position to sue the pants off any doctor involved. Doctors who act all high and mighty, and stop the patients', previously used pain medications, is no less negligent than the first. That is especially worsened if the patient has withdrawal. I once had a patient with chronic pain fro the VA. He also had a chronic myoclonus in his shoulder. I used antidepressant, muscle relaxers, and pain medication and within a month, his shoulder problem disappeared. He developed diabetes, found one night, when he was thought to have overdosed, on his medication, all because he was found unconscious at home. He continued to do well with his pain management, through the VA, as I had prescribed it, until he died of a heart attack at a young age. At least, he had a comfortable last year in his life, instead of the suffering I saw him with initially, instigated by doctors not willing to go the extra mile to get a patients' problems cared for. I did care for all of the problems in one visit. Maybe that is why my patient got better in a month, instead of the four years it took my useless doctors to get my pain under control! That control only came after my refusal of dangerous surgical intervention for an expensive internal electrical device, that has never been useful in controlling pain after spinal cord injuries. Ad to that, the insult that the "pain doctor" lied to medicare to get them approve that insertion of the, expensive and costly, spinal cord stimulator! People, BEWARE! Many doctors are not looking out for your best interest!