Texas veterans and their supporters will gather in front of the Vietnam Veterans Monument at the Texas State Capitol at 1 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Veterans Day, to announce the launch of Operation Trapped. The monument is located on the northeast side of the Capitol grounds near the corner of 14th Street and Brazos Street.
Operation Trapped, backed by Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy, is a veteran-based campaign intended to build support for legislation allowing access to medical marijuana — a safer alternative to prescription drugs — for treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), chronic pain, and other service-related conditions. More information about Operation Trapped is available at https://www.texasmarijuanapolicy.org/operation-trapped.
Speakers at the event will include David Bass of Killeen, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom II; Clif Deuvall of Waco, a U.S. Air Force veteran who participated in Operation Frequent Wind and the historic Saigon Airlift in Vietnam; and Christopher Sum of Houston, a retired U.S. Army Airborne Ranger who served four deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The campaign will display some of the empty prescription pill bottles it has begun to collect from supportive Texas veterans to represent those who are suffering from serious medical conditions that could be relieved by medical marijuana.
“As veterans, we have made many sacrifices to protect and serve our country,” said Bass. “Far too many soldiers come home to endure the debilitating conditions caused by war. These veterans, along with many other patients, are being left out in the cold.
“Veterans deserve safe and legal access to this medicine,” Bass said. “The Texas State Legislature needs to act now to create a medical marijuana program that works. Until they do, we will continue to stand with veterans and medical marijuana advocates to demand swift action from our state leaders.”
WHAT: News conference to launch Operation Trapped, a veteran-based campaign intended to build support for legislation allowing access to medical marijuana — a safer alternative to prescription drugs — for treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), chronic pain, and other service-related conditions
WHEN: Wednesday, November 11, 1 p.m. CT
WHERE: Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument, northeast side of Texas State Capitol grounds (near the corner of 14th Street and Brazos Street), Austin
WHO: David Bass, Killeen-based U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq
Clif Deuvall, Waco-based U.S. Air Force veteran who served in Vietnam
Christopher Sum, Houston-based U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan
Other Texas veterans
Representatives from Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy
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Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy is a broad coalition of organizations, activists, and community leaders dedicated to realizing effective, efficient, and evidence-based marijuana policies in Texas. For more information, visit https://www.TexasMarijuanaPolicy.org
