The State’s Cannabis Control Commission will contemplate eradicating registration charges for veterans utilizing the medical marijuana program so as increase the usage of a drug many say is much safer than the opioids veterans are continuously prescribed to handle ache.
During its common assembly final week, Commissioners realized that, although the state is dwelling to a whole lot of 1000’s of veterans, a lot of whom would qualify for medical marijuana because of service related disabilities, veterans are usually not coming into the medical marijuana program at practically the identical charges as different adults.
Part of the issue is the regulation.
“Access to medical marijuana in the regulated industry for veterans in Massachusetts continue to face significant barriers primarily due to the existing federal illegality of cannabis,” commissioners had been proven throughout a presentation by Commissioner Bruce Stebbins.
For the 71,000 Massachusetts veterans utilizing a Veterans Administration facility for healthcare or the 11,000 who’re 100% disabled because of their service, marijuana stays unlawful on the federal stage, making it inaccessible by way of the VA. That means veterans can’t get a suggestion from their docs to get a medical marijuana card and even ask their docs for recommendation about use of marijuana.
“I believe that federal prohibition of cannabis has had a chilling effect on our veterans ability to seek treatment here in Massachusetts and perhaps even to pursue employment in the cannabis industry,” Stebbins mentioned. “This is really a question of access and equity for our veterans.”
Another a part of the issue is the price of certification. Medical marijuana playing cards are issued on a yearly foundation with an annual value for each licensing and processing. That further expense, on prime of the price of the hashish itself, may be an excessive amount of for a veteran on a set incapacity earnings so as to add to their already steep well being prices.
Commissioners indicated, as a potential assertion of coverage, that they are going to help increasing the definition of “qualifying patient” to incorporate veterans utilizing the VA for healthcare who can furnish documentation demonstrating the federal division has identified the veteran with a situation which might usually qualify them for this system.
The fee may additionally help altering their record of qualifying “debilitating conditions” to incorporate PTSD, or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and opioid habit. Too many veterans, commissioners realized, are turning to extra harmful or addictive medication as a result of they merely haven’t any various.
“Veterans are more susceptible to opioid addiction as they are more likely to suffer from chronic pain. In addition, many veterans suffer from mental health problems like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, making them more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol in an attempt to self medicate,” Commissioner Kimberly Roy mentioned.
Mortality charges from drug overdoses among the many veteran inhabitants have elevated by greater than 50% within the final decade, Roy advised her colleagues, however it’s an issue that the fee is in a novel place to assist remedy, she mentioned.
“Addressing drug overdose in the veteran population requires accessible and non-judgmental, low threshold, wraparound, and holistic solutions that recognize the complex etiology of overdose risk for veterans,” she mentioned.
While marijuana is authorized for grownup use in Massachusetts — with or with no medical suggestion — it stays a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance beneath federal regulation alongside medication like heroin or LSD. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, Schedule 1 medication “are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”