Mayfield Heights Veteran Denied Motorized Wheelchair Because Of Medical Marijuana

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oscar169

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Video http://www.newsnet5.com/news/local-...rized-wheelchair-because-of-medical-marijuana
CLEVELAND -
A Marine Corps. veteran who applied for a motorized wheelchair said his claim was denied because of his medical marijuana use.
Ron Hudson, 59, of Mayfield Heights served as a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps for six years beginning in 1974. He was injured while serving in Lebanon and later became wheelchair-bound due to muscular and nerve issues that make walking very difficult.
Hudson said he was prescribed several painkillers to handle his symptoms but nothing was effective until he tried medical marijuana. He later qualified for a medical marijuana card in Michigan.
Hudson has been using a manual wheelchair for nearly a decade. He began looking into a power wheelchair after extended trips and large inclines started becoming a challenge.
“There are just some things in a wheelchair that without a motorized chair there’s not any possibility for me to enjoy it alongside my family,” Hudson said. But Hudson’s claim for a motorized wheelchair was denied after he tested positive for medical marijuana.
A spokesperson for the Cleveland VA Medical center said their policy states that if a veteran has used illicit drugs or abused alcohol within the last six months they are denied powered mobility due to safety risks while operating the equipment.
The spokesperson told News 5 that they have no record of denying a patient powered mobility due to a prescribed medication use or a prescription for medical marijuana.
Prescribed medication use can include opiates that are prescribed for pain, a spokesperson said.
But legal expert David Patton argues that the policy is inconsistent.
He said regular use of prescribed opiates can lead to the same level of impairment as medicinal marijuana in many cases.
“It makes legal sense but it makes absolutely no scientific sense,” Patton said.
While medical marijuana is legal in several states and in the process of becoming legal in Ohio, on a federal level it is still considered an illicit drug.
He said the policy makers and the attorneys at the Veterans Administration are being highly risk averse.
But Patton disagrees that a veteran who tests positive for medical marijuana is a safety risk in a motorized wheelchair.
“I think that on it’s face is ridiculous,” he said.
The VA said that if a veteran can provide six months of negative screenings, he or she will be reconsidered for powered mobility if they meet the other criteria.
 
Juicin

Juicin

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Well boys if we wanted to drive heavy machinery while stoned legally

Here is the case we should be pushing

Doesn't get more sympathetic than this. Although probably what will happen is they will redefine the wheel chair into something he can use while high (pretty sure they wouldn't bother to deny if I was prescribed oxy or percs)
 
LocalGrowGuy

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Juicin, why do you want to see heavy machinery drivers legally stoned operating heavy equipment? I agree they probably wouldn't 'deny if [you were] prescribed oxy or percs' because they aren't schedule one drugs that are federally illegal. Would you expect them to do the same if he was testing hot for opiates or cocaine? Where do you draw your line?

I think the issue here is one of liability. If they allow him to use the motorized wheelchair and they know he uses a federally illegal substance, and if he then hurts himself, the VA could be on the hook. If they would turn the other cheek he would probably be fine, but I don't think drug testing while on narcotic pain relievers is unique to this situation, I've seen a lot of doctors who would only prescribe certain meds if the patient wasn't doing drugs.
 
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