They Die A Little Every Day

State-Journal.com
05-27-2012

They Die A Little Every Day

Memorial Day, the day to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the Liberty and continued existence of the Nation. We can not honor them enough or pay them enough for the gift of their lives to preserve our way of life. After WWII veterans who had survived their service were also included as deserving the respect and gratitude of the nation on this sacred day. While many Veterans have given their lives, many more live with wounds and disabilities that cause them lifelong pain and suffering. Their struggle goes on day after day and they bear it with dignity and without complaint. They deserve the best that our medical professionals can provide to make their lives as productive and their suffering as bearable as we can make it. The Veterans Administration is dedicated to doing this with all the tools it can muster. The VA does a remarkable job and is to be praised for it.
The VA has even gone so far as to establish a policy regarding medical marijuana which relieves the patients from fear of losing their medical care if they test positive for medical marijuana in a VA urinalysis. Prior to this new policy, the VA would withhold medical care for patients testing positive, forcing them to choose between a medicine that works to relieve their suffering or VA medical care itself being withheld as some sort of punishment meted out only to medical marijuana users. Fortunately this unofficial policy has been ended and does not apply to Veteran medical marijuana users in States that have medical marijuana laws.
This is some progress but it is not enough. It is time for the Veterans Administration to establish a program to provide medical marijuana to those Veterans who can benefit from what has proven to be an effective medicine for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and chronic neuropathic pain. These conditions are common among wounded warriors and are only two of the many conditions medical marijuana is effective in treating.
Currently two of America's closest allies Israel and Canada provide medical marijuana to their Veterans who can benefit from it. Americas Veterans deserve no less than the best care we can offer them. The Veteran's Administration could very easily provide vouchers to Veteran medical marijuana patients in states that already have medical marijuana laws allowing the Veterans to get their medicine directly from Medical Marijuana Pharmacies. In states without medical marijuana laws the Government could include these Veterans with the patients that are left over from the old Compassionate Care Program killed by President H.W. Bush. These patients still receive their medical marijuana from the Governments marijuana farm in Mississippi on a monthly basis.
Veterans who suffer daily from the pain of their injuries deserve nothing less than our full dedication to easing their suffering. Medical Marijuana has been fully vetted in 17 states and the District of Columbia. It's ability to positively affect medical outcomes for patients in a variety of illnesses is unquestioned. There is no logical, scientific or moral justification for not providing this medicine to those Veterans who can benefit from it.
These Veterans have given all and those, although injured, who did not die from their service, suffer still and die a little every day. It is our duty and obligation to provide them with all the care and compassion we can muster. To do any less is to betray the very sacrifices they made.