SOUTHAVEN, Miss. — A decorated military combat veteran and former Southaven alderman is calling for Mississippi lawmakers to pass medical marijuana to help people who need it most.
William Brooks nearly died when a roadside bomb hit his Humvee in Iraq in 2005. He told FOX13 that cannabis is the only way he has been able to find relief from the injuries he suffered serving his country.
Brooks said the legislature needs to stop bickering and do the right thing.
”It just comes back to grandstanding. It’s almost like they are trying to find a way for the bill to be palatable for the governor to sign. Instead of worrying about that, just do the right thing,” Brooks said.
In 2005, while serving with the Army National Guard in Iraq, the Humvee Brooks was riding in was hit by a roadside bomb. The blast was so powerful that it blew the engine out of the Humvee. Brooks lost both legs in the blast and spent 13 months in the hospital recovering.
He said he still has phantom nerve pain. Opiates and alcohol didn’t help. He tried medical marijuana on a trip to Las Vegas and found it made the pain go away, and he could sleep.
The former Southaven alderman-at-large said medical marijuana needs to be legal in Mississippi.
”But, why is it OK to go to the doctor and be prescribed opiates, be prescribed all kind of medication for life? Why is it OK that I can go to the store and buy liquor and cigarettes? Why is that OK, but I can’t have a cannabis chew or cookie that allows me to have a better quality of life?” Brooks said.
Since he started speaking out in support of medical marijuana in Mississippi, Brooks said other veterans have contacted him for taking a stand.
”You talk about supporting the troops, and now you have an opportunity to put your money where your mouth is. Don’t just say it. Don’t just parade us around. Don’t put us on commercials to further your need. You now have an opportunity to do what you say you were going to do,” Brooks said.
Brooks believes the legislature should have no say in the amount of medical marijuana a patient can have. He said that should be left up to a doctor. He also said that taxing medical marijuana is unfair because other medicines are not taxed in the state.
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