Indiana lawmakers have neglected to pass, or even really discuss, a medical marijuana bill over the past several years – even when there was one introduced. It’s sad to see that the quality of life of thousands of people doesn’t seem to be a priority to them – but in the hope of gaining their attention and pushing them into opening up a discussion on the topic, one veteran is leading the movement to legalize medical marijuana in the state.
Jeff Staker is a former Marine sniper, and now he is calling on the Indiana government to make the decision to allow marijuana as a medicine. There have been too many failed attempts and it’s time for a change as thousands of veterans, as well as other patients, go on suffering day after day when all that stands between them and a medicine that will work is those who make the laws and those who enforce them.
Lawmakers have consistently turned to the same old excuses we always hear – that it is a gateway drug, that legalization will increase crime, traffic accidents and illegal sales. They went so far as to try and report statistics from Colorado – which are almost always taken out of context in these kinds of reports – to try and prove their point. So Staker challenged them to prove that marijuana has no medicinal value.
“I said I want to challenge him to prove one thing and one thing only: that marijuana has no medical benefits whatsoever,” Staker said. “It’s been a month or a month and a half and I haven’t heard back.”
A bill that would legalize medical marijuana for conditions, like migraine headaches and PTSD among others, was introduced earlier this month by Senator Karen Tallian. If passed it would create the Department of Marijuana Enforcement (DOME), which would oversee the regulation of the legal medical marijuana industry as well as things like whether or not to allow additional qualifying conditions.
On top of Staker’s support for the bill introduced by Tallian, the American Legion of Indiana has recently approved a resolution to support the national American Legion in the quest to legalize medical marijuana, making it available to veterans and others. Together, a persistent and persuasive veteran like Staker with a group like the American Legion backing his call to action, will hopefully be enough to convince lawmakers to at least consider this legislation as a possibility.
