Self medicating vets worry about pot ban

Scott Carsten is a war veteran who uses cannabis oil for pain in his joints.

“All the gear we had to wear, the constant pain in your knees, back, all that stuff,” Carsten said.

Carsten says he and his veteran friends had a hard time adjusting to life after the military, and many of them use recreational marijuana to help cope.

“Before using, they were angrier, a lot angrier all the time,” Carsten said.

But vets like Carsten are concerned about what could happen if recreational dispensaries end up being shut down because of a ballot initiative for November.

“That’s their livelihood now, they depend on that to get them through the day,” Carsten said.

A group called Citizens For A Healthy Pueblo, collected enough signatures to put a recreational marijuana ban on the November ballot. But members say those who need it medically will still be able to get it with a doctor’s authorization.

“They would have to do it for either other medical reasons or through obtaining it in some other way other than going to a store in Pueblo or Pueblo County” said Jim Billings with Citizens For A Healthy Pueblo.

But Carsten says many vets worry how a medical card would affect their VA benefits.

It’s why Pam Staley is fighting to educate the public before they head to the polls.

“Do you realize that by holding onto fundamental values that you are going to hurt, medically, people who are dependent on your infrastructure,” Staley said.

But Citizens For A Healthy Pueblo contend the social ills of recreational marijuana outweigh the benefits to those who use it without a med card.