TAMPA — Tammy Long left rehab looking for a way to stay off the powerful painkiller hydrocodone.
A 26-year Navy veteran, Long had snorted the opioid and the stimulant Ritalin, both prescribed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, trying to ease a range of ailments after she retired from the military, she said.
She suffered a traumatic brain injury in Iraq when she fell off a troop truck and hit her head in 2003. She’s also grappled with chronic pain, migraines and post-traumatic stress.
“My body was just so broken,” said Long, 58, who retired in 2010 as a senior chief Navy counselor and later hurt her back while working as a property manager.
So she tried something new. Long began using medical marijuana and hemp extracts containing CBD and delta-8 THC, a chemical compound from the cannabis plant that affects how the brain functions.
And it worked. Long credits this mixture for quelling her pain and keeping her off the opioids and stimulants.
But Long and other veterans who rely on hemp extract may find themselves scrambling for alternatives. Access could soon be curtailed if Gov. Ron DeSantis signs a bill limiting the types of products that shops can sell.
Even though the products are not federally approved to treat health conditions,Long and others consider them over-the-counter medicine, using powder, gummies and even honey infused with cannabis ingredients to soothe problems like tremors or insomnia. They also say hemp extract is easier to purchase than medical marijuana, which requires a doctor’s approval.
Tammy Long holds a hemp product for sale at BattleBuds on March 13 in Tampa. [ LUIS SANTANA Times ] Dozens have urged Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto a bill that would limit the types of hemp extract sold in Florida, a business owner says. Read More