CANNAHEALTH The Opioid Epidemic | Page 49

My name is Stephen M. George Jr. I am a 100% permanently and totally Disabled Veteran. I am a paratrooper and have over 36 months of overseas hazardous duty service with U.S. Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). My documented ailments include: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Insomnia, Migraine Headaches, a Mood Disorder Secondary to the TBI, Degenerative Disc Disease, Tinnitus, and Glaucoma.

Specifically, as a result of my head trauma I have a shrunken prefrontal lobe and a blood clot in the white matter of my brain. As such, after years of taking Veteran Affairs (VA) prescribed opiates and anxiety medications, I have discontinued those medications and now use only Cannabis to control my back, neck, hip, knee, and ankle pain as well as to control my migraine headaches and PTSD symptoms.

As such, with regard to my Cannabis use I was told by one VA doctor that the only problem he had with Cannabis is that it can affect the effectiveness of the other medications he may prescribe. My reply to him was “that’s just one more reason why they should let us come out of the ‘green closet’ and

be honest with our doctors”.

So, does Cannabis have legitimate

medical uses … ? Of course it does!

After all, the U.S. Patent Office has issued Patent No. 6630507—for medical marijuana. And to get a patent you have to do two things: First you have to prove the product works and second, you have to prove there is a sustainable use for said product. Consequently, it looks to me as if the federal government has put to rest the issue of “does Cannabis have a legitimate medical use.”

In conclusion, I have one thing to say to the Georgia General Assembly; until you embrace and develop empathy for the veterans who have served, fought, and been injured in the line of duty I can assure you of one thing—your job is not yet done with regard to marijuana legislation.

Stephen's Story

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