Vets want PTSD added to medical pot conditions | Local News

BOSTON – Iraq war veteran Steve Mandile was injured during a mission and is struggling with chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder.

He uses marijuana to treat his symptoms, unlike many veterinarians with similar problems who are struggling, he said, because the state doesn’t recognize PTSD and other chronic diseases as medical conditions that qualify them to be a state-issued medical Get cannabis card.

That would change following a proposal heard Tuesday by the Legislature’s Joint Cannabis Policy Committee that would add PTSD, cancer, opioid use disorders and other diseases to the list of qualifying conditions.

“Massachusetts is the only New England state that doesn’t list PTSD as a qualifying disease,” Mandile told lawmakers. “That bill would remove the expenses veterans have to pay to get a medical marijuana card.”

The bill’s main sponsor, Rep. Michael J. Soter, R-Bellingham, said the move would bring Massachusetts in line with other states’ medical marijuana programs and provide an alternative for veterans suffering from chronic pain and other ailments related to theirs Suffer service.

“Legislators have an opportunity to save the lives of veterans who wish to use medical cannabis to treat their disabilities,” Soter told the panel.

Currently, at least 33 states and the US Territory of Guam have listed PTSD as a qualifying condition for obtaining a medical marijuana license, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Because marijuana is still illegal under federal law, Veterans Affairs providers cannot prescribe the drug, even in states where it is legal.

Veterans also risk losing access to other drugs if they test positive for marijuana use, proponents say.

Soter’s proposal would allow veterans to get a medical marijuana card if they can present a VA medical certificate of their disability, which proponents say will save time and money.

Unlike recreational marijuana, which is also legal in Massachusetts, medical cannabis is tax-free, and many pharmacies only supply patients with government-issued medical marijuana cards.

Shaleen Title, a former member of the state’s cannabis control commission, said expanding access to medical marijuana will improve the lives of veterans.

“It’s about patient benefits: paying no taxes, a greater variety of access to products and no queuing,” she told the panel. “If anyone deserves it, it is our disabled veterans.”

A similar proposal was submitted in the previous legislative period, but could not be implemented.

Grant Ellis, president of the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition, said opposition to the change was mainly driven by medical marijuana card vendors trying to prevent business loss.

“They want to make money with disabled veterans, so throw whatever they can on the wall to keep this from going forward,” he told the panel. “They do this to protect their profits, which is disgusting.”

Christian M. Wade runs the Massachusetts Statehouse for the North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhi.com