Friday, March 13, 2015

A Part of My PTSD Treatment Plan - Going To Austin to Lobby for Medical Cannabis






Greetings Friends and Readers, Legislators, Staff and Supporters,

I have been asked to go to Austin next week to be part of the Capitol Building Educational Exhibit - TRMP Coalition. I will be volunteering for the week there. It's a part of 'walking my talk'. If I want things to be changed, I have to be involved. I spend a good chunk of money getting 30 sets of my letter, PTSD and cannabis studies, plus copies of War Without End copied for the legislators I hope to meet and talk  with.  I am sometimes sick to my stomach at the thought that medical cannabis bill either won't be passed, or will be vetoed by Gov Abbot. That means two more years of being a criminal.  Two more years of suffering.  Why???  To what end???  I am having to fight for my medicine.  I also have a real problem calling and talking to the staff.. it triggers me back to the time I was being attacked in the service..and makes me feel like hiding in a hole. This.. is soo sooo hard to get out and do.  But I will do my best, for myself, my fellow veterans, for the children of Texas, especially Team Alexis. Brave little Alexis has had to move to Colorado to get the anti-seizure medicine that works best for her.(UPDATE 3/24/15 ITS NOW BEEN 22 DAYS) now that she is on a mix of CBD and THC oil, and while she was having seizures or trembles all the time before,SHE HAS NOT HAD ONE SEIZURE SINCE STARTING THE CANNABIS OIL!!!!  I'd say that bears repeating, SHE HAS NOT HAD ONE SEIZURE SINCE STARTING THE CANNABIS OIL!!!! 
How can that be a coincidence??? Her parents never expected it to work as well as it is.  The last big seizure left her with stroke like symptoms afterwards, so her parents made the heart breaking decision to relocate her, to SAVE HER LIFE.  Now, please realize, that this child can't come back to Texas until we change the law. The reason she can't come back to see her grandparents, family and friends is that CPS could take her away from her parents (who seem to have saved her life by taking her to CO) because she is a child with cannabis in her system.  Horror of horrors! 0.o  So as I have said many times, I do not fight just for myself, but now, especially that Alexis can't be here to fight for herself, I promise to fight till the last day of the session for her. And if we do not accomplish it this year, I will not stop. My reps will hear from me for the next two years, and until they step up and change the law.  

So, today was the last day for bills to be filed here in Texas.  Next round is two years from now.  Today,  whole plant medical bills were filed in both the House and the Senate.  This is very important to me, because I need whole plant to deal with my service connected PTSD and various pains, spasms, anxiety, insomnia and other malfunctions.  Cannabis by far is the least amount of dangerous chemicals. Far better then anything else I could take. I have talked at length about how the VA's meds turned me into a unfunctioning zombie.  I could not drive and had zero quality of life. In addition to that, I had to have my organs and heart checked for the psychiatric meds damage

Being a medical cannabis advocate is a part of my therapy at the Vet Center. And this past Mon, I had a general appt with my VA doc, Dr. P.  She asked how things were going, if I needed any more psychiatric meds.  I told her no, I am being 'illegally healed' by cannabis. She smiled and nodded.  TAKE NOTE LEGISLATORS OR STAFF THAT COME TO READ THIS:  My VA doc, says that YES, cannabis is the best medicine for my PTSD.  Off the record, but she wants to be able to say it on the record.  She is 100000% in favor of my going to Austin and working to change the law.  Bless her heart, she also helps keep me sane in that she sees the SCIENCE behind cannabis and KNOWS and AGREES that it will help me, and other veterans.  Listen up folks, SHE IS THE DOCTOR!!!  With all due respect, the vast majority of Legislators are NOT DOCTORS! Why, why are you torturing us with a refusal to see the benefits of cannabis???  You can NOT say you support veterans if you turn your back on the bills below... because you are turning your back on US- we who put our lives and minds on the line for America.  Here in Texas, 76% of folks feel medical cannabis should be legal. Please, don't say you are ignorant enough to believe that reefer madness bs. 

I got in a conversation with a Korean war vet at the car dealership waiting for my tires to get done today. All these years later, he still jumps at slamming doors and firecrackers.  He would be THRILLED to be able to use medical cannabis he said, and his wife would be glad for him too she said.  He's heard lots of good things about it, but he doesn't want to risk his home and family by using it.  What the heck???  Hasn't he more then earned the right to use a HERB to help himself?




Alcohol and chemical drugs are TOO dangerous! 


For folks that don't realize that cannabis has been a medicine in the past, here's this:



Below are the bills that have been filed for this legislative session.



2015 Legislative Session
Bills Filed 

We have reached the filing deadline! No more bills can be filed in the Texas Legislature for the 2015 Legislative Session.

Texas NORML has compiled a list of bills you need to know about for the 2015 Legislative Session. We advise you to set up an account on My TLO so that you can follow the bill’s progress or sign up for our Texas NORML ENewsletter so that you can get Action Alerts and Legislative Updates. We encourage you to prepare (find resourceshere and here) to contact your Texas Legislators and ask them to co-author, co-sponsor or support the following bills. Find out more here and here.

HB 2615 – Repeal Marijuana Prohibition – Authored by Representative David Simpson (R). This bill would repeal all marijuana offenses in Texas statutes. Read Representative Simpson’s release here.

HB 507 and SB 1417– Civil Penalties – Authored by Representative Joe Moody (D) and Senator Rodney Ellis (D). This bill would reduce possession of a once or less of marijuana to a $100 fine, removing the criminal penalty and making it a civil penalty.Review the highlights of the bill here.  View the current penalties here.

HB 3785 and SB 1839 – Texas Comprehensive Medical Marijuana – Authored byRepresentative Marisa Marquez (D) and Senator Jose Menendez (D). The bills establish a framework for dispensaries, growers, and manufacturers to provide seriously ill patients with the medicine they need.  The qualifying conditions are far broader than other bills, and would include:  cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, Alzheimer's, PTSD, and conditions causing wasting, severe pain, severe nausea, seizures or sever muscle spasms. Registered patients (and their caregivers) would be free from fear of arrest and could legally possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana. They’d also be permitted to grow up to six plants in their home, three of which could be mature plants estimated to yield four ounces each per year. Read the highlights of the bills hereRead more here.

HB 837 – Affirmative Defense – Authored by Representative Elliot Naishtat (D). This would provide patients and caregivers a defense in court if caught possessing marijuana and would protect doctors from losing their licenses for discussing marijuana. Read more hereAnd here.

HB 414 – Decriminalize One Once or Less – Authored by Representative Harold Dutton (D). This bill would lower the penalty for possession of one ounce of marijuana from a Class B to a Class C Criminal Misdemeanor. Learn about Criminal Penalties in Texas hereView the current penalties here.

HB 892 & SD 339 - Limited CBD Only Bills - Authored by Representative Stephanie Klick (R) and Senator Kevin Eltife (R). These bills would allow for CBD only medicines to be used for people with intractable epilepsy in extreme cases. Review this information on CBD vs whole plant and Texas NORML’s opinion here.

HB 557 – Research Hemp – Authored by Representative Joe Farias (D). This bill would allow for the growth or cultivation of industrial hemp for certain research purposes.

HB 1322 Industrial Hemp - Authored by Representative Joe Farias (D). This bill would allow for the growth or cultivation of industrial hemp for industrial/agricultural purposes.

HB 325 – Decriminalize 0.325 oz or Less – Authored by Representative Gene Wu (D). This bill would lower the penalty for possession of 0.325 oz or less of marijuana from a Class B to a Class C Criminal Misdemeanor. Learn about Criminal Penalties in Texas hereView the current penalties here.

We encourage you to reach out to YOUR Texas State Representative and Texas State Senator and encourage them to Co-Sponsor these bills. Then please contact the Committee Members and request a hearing to be scheduled. Finally, please take a moment to thank each of the courageous legislators!

We also welcome you to come and visit the FIRST Cannabis Education Exhibit put on by Texas NORML and our Coalition, Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy, at the Capitol Building from March 16th-20th. Learn more here. There will also be a Patient Lobby Day on March 25th and a Caregiver Lobby Day on March 26th. And see how ourCitizen Lobby Day on February 18th went here. And please keep our Lobby Campaigngoing by becoming a donor here!
Your Texas NORML Team
www.TexasNORML.org
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Well, that's it for this post.  I'll fill ya'll in when I get back from Austin,

Over and out,
Myst

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