Medical Marijuana: Memorial Day 2007

Phil Leveque has spent his life as a Combat Infantryman, Physician and Toxicologist.

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - It is time and appropriate for an old Infantry Battle Veteran to reminisce about past Memorial Days commemorating about one million American service men and women killed in the 20th century wars, as well as about two million wounded and the relationship to opium, and also marijuana, to these war veterans.

The relationship to opium is especially germane. The Civil War was the first American war in which opium was a very important factor. In wars before that, if a soldier was wounded by gunfire, sword or spear, it was almost always a death sentence.

Severe cuts could be cauterized with a red hot iron, which could have been worse than the original wound, but despite the horrible pain and scar, it could have been life-saving. In the Civil War, the Medical Corps discovered Dakins irrigating solution, which was essentially diluted Clorox, and it did kill infections. It was extensively used for wound cleaning.

The Civil War had probably 600,000 killed and it did have a lot of survivors. That's when the use of opium came into use. If a wounded soldier was given opium or it pharmaceutical preparations, such as Laudanum (an alcoholic solution), for a few days, he was addicted. This was called THE SOLDIERS DISEASE.

I guess this implied it was his fault for being wounded and in severe pain. They could also become alcoholics. It's hard to say which was worse or how the wounded veteran was perceived by the accusatory non-veterans and ladies of the Womens Christian Temperance Union.

I'm not so sure about the Spanish-American War. In Cuba, it did have very few American battle casualties but Malaria and similar tropical diseases killed thousands. The major battles of the Spanish-American War were not around Cuba but were in The Philippines, but not against the Spanish; the Filipino natives wanted freedom from ALL foreigners and fought the U.S. troops for at least ten years, and tens of thousands of Americans were killed from battles, malaria, etc.

My father was in the American Calvary for about four years up to 1917 and was sent to The Philippines from Hawaii in about 1914. When he got there, he discovered most of the old soldiers smoked opium.

He stowed away on the ship which brought him there and went back to Hawaii and then to the Mexican border where Pancho Villa was raiding U.S. cities.

World War I had lots of killed and wounded, and opium-like drugs were still in use. They returned home to a country taken over by the WCTU who had heard the American boys had been despoiled by the French “Ladies of the Evening” and bars, and voted for alcoholic prohibition with the 18th Amendment. Prohibition started the Mafia and the Kennedys into power and we are still feeling the effects of that. Alcohol became hard to get but it didn't stop the “speakeasies” nor their customers from drinking.

Although Washington, Jefferson and Franklin probably used Cannabis as medicine, corn whiskey was safer than water, and Hemp (which is NOT marijuana) was very common and used mostly for rope and clothing but also as medicine.

Marijuana barged into the U.S. mostly through New Orleans from the Caribbean, where it was introduced by Spain as a cheap tranquilizer for local Indian and African slaves. Marijuana grew like crazy in the tropics and a marijuana bag or cigarette was easier to carry and hide than a flask of booze, cheaper, too.

Marijuana use spread like wildfire and even Mormons living in Mexico discovered it and brought it to Utah when they cam home during Pancho Villa's depredations.

Marijuana use just simmered through the 20's, 30's and 40's, particularly in rural areas, but jazz musicians were well-known users and spread it widely.

The Hearst newspapers made the most of the euphoric actions of marijuana and getting HIGH was considered a demonic crime. They didn't consider that after the “high” the user usually went to sleep.

The hippies and Viet Nam soldiers discovered it about the same time. Both rediscovered that it was very effective for a variety of medical conditions.

My observation is/was that a lot of World War One and World War Two veterans became alcoholics and the lethal statistics of both are chilling. This doesn't even consider the lethal effects of smoking tobacco. Free cigarettes in WWII has killed thousands. I am the survivor of my six-member private Intelligence Section. I was the oldest but I quit smoking cigarettes when I was five years old.

The hippie generation—now called the “Boomers”—have led the way for the legalization of marijuana use and have been successful for medical use. Physicians cannot keep up with the demand for permits to use marijuana for medicine. We now have at least 400,000 legal marijuana medical cases.

The story is tragic for veterans of Viet Nam and more recent wars. It is estimated that at least 30 percent of the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan will have PTSD. That is about 300,000 veterans and the V.A. will not allow their doctors to write letters or chart notes which with veterans can get marijuana permits.

I must admit that Oregon will not give permits for PTSD. It seems to be the belief of whomever is controlling the permits that psychologic problems are not appropriate for marijuana therapy. They would rather the patients be stupefied with a variety of antidepressants. PTSD is NOT a disease of depression. Furthermore, the patients aren't crazy, either.

More information on the history of Leveque can be found in his book, General Patton's Dogface Soldier of Phil Leveque about his experiences in WWII. Order the book by mail by following this link: salem-news.com/pages/Dogface_soldier.

Watch for Dr. Phil Leveque's video question and answer segments about medical marijuana with Bonnie King.

Other articles and video segments about medical marijuana on Salem-News.com:

Salem-News.com Marijuana Coverage

Where and How to Smoke Legal Marijuana without Fear of Arrest in the U.S.

Eulogy of a Great Warrior: Hoss Plourde

The Ripple Effect How Marijuana Laws Are Impacting Society

Audit the Audit

Welcome Home, Tom

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JC_IN_OR August 10, 2007 7:04 pm (Pacific time)

I dont understand why people cannot get behind this type of legislation. only 62% think it is ok? what is wrong with the other 38%! seriously, we are bombarded with drugs that cary all sorts of side effects that are more dangerous than pot and they have adds on tv... we allow alcohol and tobacco to stay legal and both have shown considerably greater health concerns. why are we so 2 faced? legalize it already!

S.LaMarche; August 10, 2007 6:37 pm (Pacific time)

Yes, I concur 100%.

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