Editor's Note: Many people were disappointed by this ruling, although some found the "lack of evidence" rationale difficult to argue with. The problem there is, as this article's author points out, the ability to research and provide that evidence "has been stifled under the federal government for years due to marijuana’s Schedule 1 drug classification."
This article also points out that "according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, about 22 veterans commit suicide each day. And a recent Washington Post study found more than half of the 2.6 million veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars struggle with mental and physical health issues stemming from their military service."
As John Evans, director of Veterans 4 Freedoms, commented in another article about the ruling, "“We’ll take the tax dollars from our tourists (for recreational marijuana) before we’ll help our vets.”
Earlier this month Colorado health officials voted 6 – 2 to reject medical cannabis as a legal treatment for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Here’s what you should know about the decision:
1. It’s the third ‘no’ vote
This is the third time Colorado health officials have refusedto put marijuana on an approved list of PTSD treatments, even though the health board has okayed medical marijuana as treatment for a variety of other conditions since 2001.
2. Medical marijuana is okay for general pain but not PTSD
Colorado doctors can currently recommend marijuana to patients for treatment of pain (93 percent of recommendations), cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, muscle spasms, severe nausea and multiple sclerosis, among other conditions.
