Leo Bridgewater said that since he returned from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, three of his fellow soldiers have tried to kill themselves. Two actually did, but one, Phillip Dumé, survived. He and Bridgewater both testified on a measure that would make New Jersey put medical marijuana on the list of conditions that can be treated under the state’s medical cannabis program. Both men already have medical cannabis prescriptions because of issues in their knees, but if they did not, Dumé said, he would be dealing with many other issues.
“I tried to commit suicide when I first came back,” Dumé, a 28-year-old Trenton resident, said. “I was one of those guys.”
The cannabis he gets for his replaced knee also helps with other problems, Dumé added
“It helps me out. It’s one reason I’m able to speak to you guys,” he told lawmakers. “It helps me focus. It helps me calm down. It helps me sleep.”
After the two men and many others had testified, the committee voted unanimously, with one person, Assemblyman Ronald Dancer, abstaining. A similar bill was approved in March in the House but did not pass the Senate. 2015 by a 53-13 vote, but it died in a Senate committee. Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, D-Mercer, chairman of the oversight committee and a co-sponsor of the bill, states that he believes there is more of a chance that it will pass through both houses this year and become law.
“I think it’s a learning curve,” Gusciora said. “There have been more studies that have come out. Congress is debating whether to allow it in VA hospitals. Pennsylvania just passed a medical marijuana program that included PTSD. And who are we to challenge scientists and medical researchers that are recommending medical marijuana for soldiers?”
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