Pubdate: Wed, 01 Jun 2016
Source: Colorado Springs Independent (CO)
Column: Cannabiz
Copyright: 2016 Colorado Springs Independent
Contact:  http://www.csindy.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1536
Author: Nat Stein

LAMBORN VOTES AGAINST VETS' ACCESS TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Third time was the charm for Congress to pass legislation to let 
Veterans Administration doctors discuss medical marijuana with 
patients in states where it's legal (like this one!). From a 195-222 
failed House vote in 2014 to a narrower 210-213 loss in 2015, this 
month the House shifted to a 233-189 approval - reflecting the 
transformation in public opinion over those years.

Among the "no" votes that failed to stop the action, co-authored by 
Rep. Jared Polis, D-Boulder, was Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado 
Springs. Lamborn, who represents this veteran-laden district and sits 
on the House Veteran Affairs Committee, has long decried the 
shortcomings of what he terms "Obama's VA department." Many local 
vets are as familiar with those shortcomings - the bureaucratic 
bottlenecking of much-needed care - as they are with elected leaders' 
failure to effect meaningful reform. And that frustration has fueled 
the fight for expanded access to medical marijuana to treat the 
wounds of war, as detailed in the Indy's April 20 cover story "Aim to Heal."

So why did Rep. Lamborn vote against a policy shift so many ailing 
vets have begged for? In an email from his spokesman, the congressman 
put it like this:

"The unproven and untested nature of medical marijuana leaves a lot 
of unanswered questions about the impact it would have on veterans. 
The fact is, most major medical associations oppose marijuana use and 
legalization, and certain studies, including one from Yale Medical 
School last year, show that marijuana actually aggravates PTSD, 
rather than alleviating it. Allowing the VA to recommend untested, 
non-FDA-approved drugs that are illegal under federal law could 
actually make veterans worse, not better."

That spokesman, Jarred Rego, who tried but failed to make it onto the 
ballot in the upcoming El Paso County District 3 commissioner race, 
declined to answer follow-up questions.

Those looking to prevent Rego's boss from winning a sixth term see 
this recent vote as part of an ongoing and concerning pattern.

"[Lamborn] is out of touch, not only with voters but with reality," 
says Donald Martinez, one of two Democrats vying for the chance to 
take on the incumbent in this heavily Republican district come 
November. Since 2012, when he came home after his Humvee rolled over 
in Iraq, Martinez has had trouble both getting care through the VA 
and reaching his congressman to air those grievances. Switching from 
24 pills a day to indica strains of marijuana helped with the 
paranoia and insomnia, Martinez says, adding that other vets he 
mentors through the Veterans Trauma Court in the 4th Judicial 
District have found cannabis to be integral to keeping it together 
back in civilian life.

"I raised my right hand and did things for our country most people 
haven't," Martinez told the Indy. "So I'm going to take charge of my 
own health care. ... All [Lamborn] does is point fingers at Obama. 
And it's like, 'Dude, you sit on the House Veterans Affairs 
Committee. What have you been doing?'"

Martinez's primary opponent, Misty Plowright, is also a red card 
holder. She occasionally uses cannabis to treat a lingering leg 
injury from her time in the Army and trauma from a mental health 
episode three years ago. Though she never saw combat (at that point 
Plowright, who's transgender, was identifying as a man), she did 
emphasize that PTSD is not exclusive to wartime trauma and, more 
importantly, that "government has no business telling doctors what 
they can or cannot talk to their patients about when it comes to 
potential treatments."

Plowright, a tech contractor for an out-of-state company, fancies 
herself a "Berniecrat" and reckons that she shares enough libertarian 
leanings to get in with voters in the local House district, which 
Republicans have always owned.

And opposition to this vote doesn't just come from Democrats - it 
also comes from within Lamborn's own party where a former intern of 
his, 32-year-old Calandra Vargas, is also seeking the GOP nomination. 
Vargas says she doesn't smoke weed herself, but respects individuals' 
liberty to make their own choices.

"If it's helping people, it's helping people. We need to pay 
attention and stop stigmatizing," she told the Indy. And though 
Vargas believes Colorado's current regulatory scheme is too 
permissive and supports addressing "secondary consequences" of 
legalization, she recognizes her personal beliefs may not always line 
up with how voters feel.

"This isn't about me," says Vargas. "But we need elected 
representatives who are comfortable with the times we live in."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom