Robert Celt
New Member
Our system of government can often be messy and confusing, with federal laws saying one thing, then being contradicted by state statutes.
Medical marijuana is currently the most glaring example around the country.
Once considered the gateway drug to hardcore drug addiction, public attitudes toward marijuana have softened over the years. Last year, a Harris poll found 81 percent of respondents were now in favor of medical marijuana.
Twenty-three states currently have laws for medical marijuana, and several have already passed laws for its recreational use.
Just last week, the American Legion's national commander spoke in Saratoga Springs and said his organization is weighing its stance on medical marijuana for veterans.
That's important because marijuana use remains illegal by federal statute, and since the Veterans Administration is a federal agency, its doctors cannot legally prescribe the drug, even if it is legal on the state level, as in New York.
The good news is that the VA policy that prohibits doctors from recommending marijuana expired on Jan. 31. The bad news is that doctors still cannot prescribe marijuana until a new policy is in place.
An amendment that would allow medical marijuana for veterans passed through the Senate last year but was not included in final legislation by the House of Representatives. The amendment has again been approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee, but still not by the House.
So here is where it gets messy with political sides at odds over helping veterans or taking a hard line against legalizing drugs.
We come down on the side of veterans on this one.
It is acknowledged that this country – especially in the East – has a significant drug problem, and most of the experts are pointing to prescription painkillers as the new gateway drug to cheap supplies of heroin. We know it is happening all around us. It's the drugs prescribed by doctors that are now considered the gateway drugs, not marijuana.
Proponents of medical marijuana believe that in many cases, the use of marijuana as a substitute for prescription painkillers would be an important step in heading off future addictions to painkillers, and might also reduce the high number of veterans committing suicide.
But it gets even messier still, since even the medical marijuana laws are different state-to-state, and it is likely that the limited nature of New York's medical marijuana law might limit the number of veterans who would even qualify.
Dale Barnett, the American Legion's national commander who spoke in Saratoga, acknowledged that the American Legion supports alternatives to prescribed painkillers.
"The American Legion is an open-minded organization that is looking into all the facts," he said last week. "We're still looking into it (medical marijuana). We're discussing it, and we certainly have not made any policy statements either for or against the use of medical marijuana."
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has taken a position for helping veterans and has proposed legislation that would provide veterans access to medical marijuana as one of its provisions.
We supported the use of medical marijuana in New York and don't understand why veterans should not have the same opportunities to manage their pain as other residents of the state, even if it is limited.
The House should immediately approve of the amendment that would allow VA doctors to prescribe medical marijuana, and we hope that Sen. Gillibrand's legislation is also given serious consideration.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Veterans Should Be Allowed Benefits Of Medical Marijuana
Author: Staff
Contact: The Post-Star
Photo Credit: Steve Jacobs
Website: The Post-Star
Medical marijuana is currently the most glaring example around the country.
Once considered the gateway drug to hardcore drug addiction, public attitudes toward marijuana have softened over the years. Last year, a Harris poll found 81 percent of respondents were now in favor of medical marijuana.
Twenty-three states currently have laws for medical marijuana, and several have already passed laws for its recreational use.
Just last week, the American Legion's national commander spoke in Saratoga Springs and said his organization is weighing its stance on medical marijuana for veterans.
That's important because marijuana use remains illegal by federal statute, and since the Veterans Administration is a federal agency, its doctors cannot legally prescribe the drug, even if it is legal on the state level, as in New York.
The good news is that the VA policy that prohibits doctors from recommending marijuana expired on Jan. 31. The bad news is that doctors still cannot prescribe marijuana until a new policy is in place.
An amendment that would allow medical marijuana for veterans passed through the Senate last year but was not included in final legislation by the House of Representatives. The amendment has again been approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee, but still not by the House.
So here is where it gets messy with political sides at odds over helping veterans or taking a hard line against legalizing drugs.
We come down on the side of veterans on this one.
It is acknowledged that this country – especially in the East – has a significant drug problem, and most of the experts are pointing to prescription painkillers as the new gateway drug to cheap supplies of heroin. We know it is happening all around us. It's the drugs prescribed by doctors that are now considered the gateway drugs, not marijuana.
Proponents of medical marijuana believe that in many cases, the use of marijuana as a substitute for prescription painkillers would be an important step in heading off future addictions to painkillers, and might also reduce the high number of veterans committing suicide.
But it gets even messier still, since even the medical marijuana laws are different state-to-state, and it is likely that the limited nature of New York's medical marijuana law might limit the number of veterans who would even qualify.
Dale Barnett, the American Legion's national commander who spoke in Saratoga, acknowledged that the American Legion supports alternatives to prescribed painkillers.
"The American Legion is an open-minded organization that is looking into all the facts," he said last week. "We're still looking into it (medical marijuana). We're discussing it, and we certainly have not made any policy statements either for or against the use of medical marijuana."
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has taken a position for helping veterans and has proposed legislation that would provide veterans access to medical marijuana as one of its provisions.
We supported the use of medical marijuana in New York and don't understand why veterans should not have the same opportunities to manage their pain as other residents of the state, even if it is limited.
The House should immediately approve of the amendment that would allow VA doctors to prescribe medical marijuana, and we hope that Sen. Gillibrand's legislation is also given serious consideration.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Veterans Should Be Allowed Benefits Of Medical Marijuana
Author: Staff
Contact: The Post-Star
Photo Credit: Steve Jacobs
Website: The Post-Star