AUSTIN, Texas — David Bass served in the Army for 25 years and retired as a major. When he returned from Iraq, he said he had strange symptoms that he did not understand.
“I was hyper vigilant, had trouble sleeping, had nightmares about some things that happened in Iraq,” Bass said.
Doctors diagnosed Bass with post-traumatic stress disorder, and he turned to medical cannabis for help.
“Cannabis controlled the symptoms of paranoia, anger outbursts. I sleep perfectly for eight hours every night. The nightmares about Iraq went away,” Bass said.
Dr. Matthew Brimberry is a palliative care physician in Austin. When it comes to his patients, he likens the effects of medical cannabis to a “series of small miracles.”
“They’re able to have a better life without all that sedating medication,” Dr. Brimberry said.
Now, Bass and Dr. Brimberry are focused on helping other patients and say House Bill 46 would help more people. The bill is up for a House vote on Monday.
The bill allows patients to use products like cannabis patches and lotions as well as prescribed inhalers and vaping devices.
If it passes, the list of qualifying conditions would also expand. People suffering from chronic pain, traumatic brain injury, Crohn’s disease or degenerative disc disease could benefit. The bill also lets licensed dispensing organizations open more satellite locations, which advocates say could save patients time and energy. The bill would also allow DPS to issue more dispensing licenses.
“We have patients that are in the Panhandle and in West Texas and have a hard time getting their medicine,” Dr. Brimberry said.
“Cannabis is medicine, so let’s treat it as medicine. And so for me and many other veterans, cannabis has been life-changing,” Bass said.
Now, there is a hope to expand the list of changed lives.
If passed, the bill goes into effect on Sept. 1.
