Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Indianapolis - A group of Indiana veterans is educating people about medical cannabis in hopes to get a hearing on the Legislative floor next session. Donors have raised about $10,000 to help get the message out.
In a public service announcement for Hoosier Veterans for Medical Cannabis, the narrator says "Every 30 minutes a veteran dies — not from a bullet or an IED, from an overdose."
Jeff Staker was almost one of those statistics, after suffering from chronic back pain he developed while serving in the Marine Corps.
Staker said, "I went to my VA doctor and he said that, 'I think we've had enough of the Oxycodone. You're taking too much to get the same pain relief that you needed. You might accidentally overdose.'"
He said he's lucky he was able to stop.
"But there are a lot of veterans out there that are hooked on the medication," Staker said.
Pain killer addiction has led many veterans to heroin overdoses or suicide.
"It's not going to go away," he said. "But the states that have legalized medical cannabis, we've seen a reduction up to 40 percent."
That's why Hoosier Veterans for Medical Cannabis is educating the public and more specifically, legislators on the topic.
"It never gets brought up in the committees," Staker said.
Democratic State Rep. Sheila Klinker said no it doesn't.
"And that's what we need to do," Staker said.
But Klinker said Staker is going to have a tough time in such a conservative state.
"We probably will be, to be honest with you, the last state to look at this issue and pass it," said Klinker.
She said lawmakers will have to have research data from other states to make sure this has not caused problems elsewhere. But Staker said he has research to back it up but more importantly, he has the people.
"If Indiana was a state that we could put this on the ballot, it would have been passed back on Nov. 8 of this year," Staker said.
Klinker agreed, "I think it's going to generate a lot of interest."
Klinker said she may be interested in co-sponsoring if she wasn't already involved in her own industrial hemp bill that made it through the house last session.
"I think people are studying this issue, and that they're willing to at least kind of look at it in a different way that they did formally," Klinker said. "Which was just legalizing marijuana — period."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Hoosier Veterans For Medical Cannabis Pushing For Legislation
Author: Kayla Sullivan
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: wlfi
In a public service announcement for Hoosier Veterans for Medical Cannabis, the narrator says "Every 30 minutes a veteran dies — not from a bullet or an IED, from an overdose."
Jeff Staker was almost one of those statistics, after suffering from chronic back pain he developed while serving in the Marine Corps.
Staker said, "I went to my VA doctor and he said that, 'I think we've had enough of the Oxycodone. You're taking too much to get the same pain relief that you needed. You might accidentally overdose.'"
He said he's lucky he was able to stop.
"But there are a lot of veterans out there that are hooked on the medication," Staker said.
Pain killer addiction has led many veterans to heroin overdoses or suicide.
"It's not going to go away," he said. "But the states that have legalized medical cannabis, we've seen a reduction up to 40 percent."
That's why Hoosier Veterans for Medical Cannabis is educating the public and more specifically, legislators on the topic.
"It never gets brought up in the committees," Staker said.
Democratic State Rep. Sheila Klinker said no it doesn't.
"And that's what we need to do," Staker said.
But Klinker said Staker is going to have a tough time in such a conservative state.
"We probably will be, to be honest with you, the last state to look at this issue and pass it," said Klinker.
She said lawmakers will have to have research data from other states to make sure this has not caused problems elsewhere. But Staker said he has research to back it up but more importantly, he has the people.
"If Indiana was a state that we could put this on the ballot, it would have been passed back on Nov. 8 of this year," Staker said.
Klinker agreed, "I think it's going to generate a lot of interest."
Klinker said she may be interested in co-sponsoring if she wasn't already involved in her own industrial hemp bill that made it through the house last session.
"I think people are studying this issue, and that they're willing to at least kind of look at it in a different way that they did formally," Klinker said. "Which was just legalizing marijuana — period."
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Hoosier Veterans For Medical Cannabis Pushing For Legislation
Author: Kayla Sullivan
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: wlfi
