Texas Veterans Speak at Capitol in Support for Medical Marijuana Legalization

At a recent conference at the state capitol, pro-marijuana veterans told their stories about the invisible scars they return home with after serving in war and how marijuana helps them. These vets and their supporters are pushing Texas lawmakers for marijuana reform.

The veterans described their experiences as receiving prescription cocktails comprised of anti-depressants to treat PTSD, TWC News reports. Supporters say that the systems used in current medical marijuana legal states could work in Texas. Texas is home to 1.7 million veterans.

Iraq War veteran David Bass said, “When I came back from Iraq I was having nightmares, insomnia, hyper-vigilance, paranoia and feeling that I didn’t want to leave my house. Cannabis allowed me to get those symptoms under control. This is actually helping veterans, not harming veterans. They’re able to quit their addiction to opioids and their dependency to psychotropic medications.”

Clifford Deuvall of the Waco branch of NORML said, “It’s not the doctor’s fault, it’s the system. The system is broken and it needs to be fixed. We’re here to raise awareness and bring a fix to the system. I think the vision for Texas is exactly down that avenue. We need to offer viable healthcare alternatives.”

Bass commented: “The question is how do we move from it being totally illegal to having a well-regulated medical marijuana program in Texas?”

Letters will be delivered to Governor Greg Abbott on Veterans Day from activists and supporters. These letters will also be from veterans who want and support marijuana reform.