A bill to expand the Texas medical marijuana laws has the unlikely backing of a large group of military war veterans, who are looking for an alternative to the handful of opioid-based bills they take on a daily basis, 1200 WOAI news reports.
"I discovered that cannabis was very effective for chronic pain and for the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder," Army veteran David Bass tells News Radio 1200 WOAI
.House Bill 2107, which is up for debate today, authorizes "the possession, use, cultivation, distribution, transportation, and delivery of medical cannabis for medical use by qualifying patients with certain debilitating medical conditions and the licensing of dispensing organizations and testing facilities." It's an expansion of the state's current medical marijuana laws, which only allow low-THC oil for the treatment of some epileptic patients.
Bass, who served in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom, was not happy with the side effects of the pills he had to take on a daily bases. After reaching out to fellow vets, he learned many shared his concerns, and turned to weed.
He says, it was eye opening to see students, business owners and professionals talk about the success of marijuana to help with combat-related injuries.
"These veterans are not sitting on the couch, using cannabis, and not being productive," he explains. "They're being productive at a very high level."
But the bill faces opposition from the Texas Medical Association, which feels there is not enough scientific research confirming the potential positives and negatives of marijuana for medical use.
"Such research is critical for physicians to be able to inform patients whether marijuana is an effective treatment, which conditions it may treat effectively, the appropriate dosing levels for different patients including children, any potential side effects, and if marijuana products are more beneficial than other approved medications," the group says in a statement.
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