Attention Veterans

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (formerly known as the VA) has been mandated by Congress to provide quality healthcare at little or no cost to honorably discharged veterans of the U.S. military, including the medications prescribed by VA doctors. There is one drug, which is naturally occurring, which the VA says is against Federal law to dispense and that is CANNABIS (including the synthetic form, marinol.)

I have been a veteran's advocate for 40 years and have met many veterans during this time. A large majority of them use cannabis for medicinal puroses and many may more would if the cost was not so prohibitive ($200-$400 average per month.) This to me is a travesty, especially when you consider that as early as 1975 the VA Medical Center in Seattle was prescribing and dispensing marijuana to glaucoma patients and as late as 2003, the Spokane VA Medical Center was presciribing Marinol for certain ailments. How did they get around the Federal law then and what would it take to go back to 1975-2003?

If you feel the way I do and want to be part of a survey to obtain some numbers for the VA, call me at 509-431-0039 or write to P.O. Box 1321, Moses Lake WA 98837.

W. Michael Sallis

Moses Lake