VA Allows 1st Veteran to Use Cannabis for Seizures While a Resident in Federal Program

NEW JERSEY – Robert Zak, a disabled Navy veteran currently residing at a VA residential program funded by federal dollars recently obtained his NJ medical marijuana card for seizure disorders under the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act.

Community Hope, Inc. continues to fulfill their mission to all veterans by fostering the future of wellness in this case, and truly represents the name of their organization Hope 4 Veterans. By allowing a veteran with a medical card to reside at their program on federal property while being paid by federal funds, and medically accepting his use is an absolute breakthrough.

Epilepsy and seizures were one of the first debilitating conditions that the state of New Jersey decided to make cannabis available for back in 2010.

In 2016, one of the veterans at the same VA medical center in Lyons was allowed to consume cannabis during a 6-week inpatient stay at a PTSD unit.

The acceptance of medical cannabis for its medical use at the federal level in the treatment of this veteran to honorably help rebuild his life is a game changer for the medical community at large and the cannabis movement overall.

This progression for the medical community supercedes what happened here in Florida, and sets a precedent for future federal/state conflicts when it comes to cannabis as it relates to a person’s health in this country, whether they are a veteran or not.