A just-released survey from The American Legion, the largest group of war veterans in the nation, shows that they overwhelmingly approve of the legalization of medical marijuana and almost every member who took the survey is in favor of cannabis research.
Veterans tend to make up an older, more conservative demographic, but a demographic that’s been to or readied for war. There are too many cases of PTSD to count, missing limbs, missing men and women and a whole lot of suffering that can be eased with medical marijuana. In other words, they really get it.
In fact, earlier this year the Legion adopted a resolution requesting the federal government to allow Department of Veterans Affairs doctors to be able to discuss and recommend medical cannabis in states where it’s legal.
Last summer, the Legion attempted to put their hefty influence into the political cannabis ring in an effort to take marijuana off of the Schedule I list, hoping to allow for more research. Though they do have a powerful voice, the plant remains in Schedule I – for now.
“People ask ‘aren’t you a law and order group’. Why yes we are,” said the Legion’s Executive Director Verna Jones at a press conference with Congress members. “But we’re also a group that takes care of veterans. And when veterans come to us and say a particular treatment is working for them, we owe it to them and listen.”
However, the Legion’s also made it clear that they aren’t in this battle to win the recreational side of marijuana law reform. In a statement they made it clear, “It is very important to note that The American Legion is NOT advocating for recreational use of marijuana.”
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The survey was of 802 persons, 513 of them veterans and 289 their caregivers. When the numbers shook out, nine out of 10 were in favor of medicinal research and four out of five were in favor of legalizing medical cannabis. Sixty percent of those surveyed were 60 or older.
“It is also clear from the survey that veterans are accessing cannabis to assist them in states with and without medical marijuana programs,” added Five Corners Strategies, the group that conducted the surveys for The American Legion.
