August 30, 2010 – For months, media reports have chronicled fiery debates over marijuana’s medicinal utility and its impact on our broader communities. But what about those constituencies who don’t have a lobbyist down at the Capitol or City Hall?

What about our veterans?

National polls consistently show support for medical marijuana rights at over 60 percent. A May Rasmussen report concluded that one in two Colorado voters support outright marijuana legalization, even for non-medicinal purposes. And while state officials now estimate Colorado’s official registered patient count somewhere about 130,000, skeptics remain firmly rooted to the stereotype that patients are just a bunch of lazy hippies looking to evade marijuana prohibition. As a medical marijuana caregiver, I have the honor of serving a couple hundred of our state’s patients on a regular basis. They are anything but lazy or law-evading. Like me, many of them are vets. They are my motivation for writing today.

As a proud Marine who served over two decades ago, I’ve witnessed the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to the health care options we provide to my fellow armed service members who returned home with immense physical and emotional scars.

Well-intentioned though overworked physicians at our nation’s veteran hospitals prescribe anti-depressants and narcotic painkillers with abandon. The net result: VA patients turn into addicts, held captive, not by the injuries that first made them seek medical help, but rather by the addictive pills that were supposed to free them from their agony.

Today, Colorado is one of more than a dozen states where narcotic painkillers are the leading cause of accidental death. Such drug overdoses kill more people than car accidents, including those caused by drunken drivers, Meanwhile, I have yet to find a single documented case where marijuana independently caused a single death in U.S. history.

A 2008 Pentagon survey found one in four soldiers admitting to prescription drug abuse, with another 15 percent saying they had abused painkillers within the previous 30 days. While Congress demanded action, the problem only continues to spiral out of control.

It was with the hope of reversing this trend — joining together with one courageous soldier at a time — that motivated me last summer to seriously explore the idea of opening my own medical marijuana wellness center here in Colorado Springs. By early fall, We Grow Colorado was born, and by December, we were deep in construction dust as we turned a former local veterinarian clinic into a viable center.

Now open and thriving for the last several months, We Grow’s commitment to vets is clear and consistent. We don’t believe in handing out medicine. Rather, we empower our patients to regain control of their lives and fight back against narcotic addiction. We offer discounts to indigent vets and are planning an educational series on PTSD. Sadly, military policy does not allow current service members to utilize medical marijuana as part of their recovery strategy. For now, we can only aid those who have completed their service.

Medical marijuana is not some magic pill. It is one of many therapies that work for some, but not for all, who try it. In a community like ours, where vets play a key role in every aspect of our daily lives, we should show them the respect they deserve. Let’s stop throwing pills at their pain in the hopes of keeping them quiet. Instead, we should stop and listen to what they have to say. If our leaders will do this, as We Grow Colorado does every day, they will hear that many vets benefit tremendously from medical marijuana. Giving them the freedom to choose this non-addictive alternative therapy is the least we can do. By Drew Milburn. Source.

CALGARY – Word a gang of black bears in B.C. found guarding an outdoor marijuana grow-op might be euthanized is too much to bear for some learning of their potential fate.

A group of up to 15 bears were found a few weeks ago near Christina Lake, hanging about near a patch of more than 1,000 pot plants and devoid of natural instincts to be fearful of humans.

Officials said the concern now is the bears are dependent on human handouts, like dog food allegedly doled out to keep them in the area, and they may be unable to fend for themselves.

Calgarian Doreen mcCrindle, however, said she plans to start a petition to try and save the bears from being killed.

She said her Facebook page, “Help save the BC black bears,” is attracting support for non-lethal options, like putting the bruins in a zoo or sanctuary.

“These bears don’t have a voice,” she said, adding the cause has attracted interest from around the world.

“Between the oilsands and the Stampede, I think Canada has an embarrassing record for being animal rights activists.”

Dave Webster, a conservation officer, said the bears are being given a chance and it’s too early to say how they will fare in relying on regular bear ways to survive.

Those who can’t “assimilate in a natural state,” finding food in the wilds, especially with winter on its way, will likely be put down, he said.

That is especially the case for those who end up posing a safety threat by resorting to getting food from humans, breaking down fences and feeding off dog food and fruit trees, for instance.

“At this point, we will leave it up to the bears and see if some can function in the wild,” Webster said Friday.

“The proof will be in the pudding.”

Webster said about 3,500 black bears are put down each year in B.C., many ruined by humans messing with their ability to be bears. The recent case a sad reminder bears often pay the ultimate price for people disrespecting wildlife.

“Feeding wildlife goes against what they need to survive,” he said, adding the option of placing the bears in captivity is unlikely.

“Generally, we don’t promote zoos. It’s my personal opinion, but I think a bear is far better off put down then to be put in (captivity) — it may make us feel better but it’s not the best option for the bear.

“We hope as many as possible survive. Either they will make it on their own or they wont.”

The group includes older bears and a sow with cubs who may have spent their entire lives relying on humans for food near the pot plants.

Webster said he has seen bears who once dined at municipal landfills adapt well when the sites closed while others “only know how to sit beside a garbage can.”

Criminal charges are pending against the people who occupied the land and they likely face charges under the Provincial Wildlife Act, which, on conviction, could see a fine of up to $100,000.