Medical Marijuana In Arizona Approved For Veterans’ PTSD, Pot Discount Cards Will Give Senior Half Off

Medical marijuana in Arizona was recently approved for veterans who are suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after Judge Thomas Shedden overruled Arizona Department of Health Services. Director Will Humble previously had tried to deny veterans’ access to cannabis based upon the lack of scientific peer-reviewed studies on marijuana and PTSD.

In a related report by The Inquisitr, veterans groups in other states are also pushing for medical marijuana to be given to soldiers returning from the Afghanistan war. The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) in Kentucky even passed a resolution that hopes to receive the help from the government in setting up a voucher program in the long run.

Such a program might resemble what is currently being implemented by the Arizona Department of Health Services. Director Humble would like to give discounted medical pot cards to seniors at half the cost by time spring of 2015 rolls around:

“For seniors, many of them are on limited income and so, I felt like we should provide a discount for them. For people on SSI (Supplemental Security Income) and SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance), it’s challenging for them to afford [medical marijuana cards]. There are two ways we can deal with the revenue. We can provide deeper discounts or lower the costs of the cards as a whole. My preference is to provide discounts for special populations.””

Unfortunately, Humble does not have to listen to the judge’s recommendation over using medical marijuana for PTSD, and he says he is waiting on science to back up the claims over cannabis’ medical uses:

“There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence. At the hearings that we had, one family after the next came up and personally testified that they believed that marijuana provided relief for their PTSD. But throughout my entire career I’ve really focused on using scientific evidence really as the cornerstone of good, effective decision making when it comes to public policy.”

The director has until July 9, 2014 to figure out whether or not to accept the decision. In the event that happens, attorney Kenneth Sobel, representing the Arizona Cannabis Nurses Association, will request a superior judge to overrule Humble. Sobel claims “veterans desperately need this medicine” because statistics show that 22 wounded warriors commit suicide every day, and many of them suffer from PTSD.