Veterans For Medical Marijuana Access advises veteran patients NOT to sign any “pain contracts” for your VA doctors. They are not VA Forms and need to be questioned — here’s why:
Veterans, Pain Contracts & Medical Cannabis- Michael Krawitz
NOTE: On May 28, 2009, VA Watchdog reported that the VA will not remove veterans with medical marijuana recommendations who test positive for pot from its pain management programs in states that have approved the medicinal use of marijuana.
Filed under: Commentary | Tagged: medical marijuana, Reefer Madness
I am a disabled veteran with chronic pain issues. Had I not signed the pain contract my pain meds would have been with drawn (I had already been on them for several years when these pain contracts were forced on us by the mucky mucks that run the VAMC system). My doctor doesn’t agree with the contracts but is forced to use them and to do random drug tests on his patients. I find the fact I have to bring my meds back to the hospital and submit to a drug test degrading. They don’t’ even know how much meds you should have left because they don’t do a count against your scripts. I’d love to use pot because I know many people with my disorders who use pot and do well with it. I’m told I;m on the maximum amount of pain meds and that they can’t be raised. I know this isn’t true but is propaganda from the DEA who don’t know crap about meds. They only care about keeping their jobs.
We should legalize ALL drugs, and criminalize inappropriate actions instead. We should also be getting the medical care we were promised in our ‘contracts” when we signed up. It wasn’t just medical but dental and eye/ear services too. I’ve started a site for vets who want to discuss these issues. I hope to hear from many of you.