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Tom Mundell, a former VFW commander of Missouri, talks with Josh Chittum, the president of mid-Missouri NORML on Monday before a general meeting about the current status of the legalization of cannabis.
Tom Mundell gives a speech about the benefits of veterans using cannabis to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, alleviate pain and other issues Monday during a NORML meeting.
Audience at a general meeting of NORML listen to various speakers Monday at the Columbia Public Library. The mid-Missouri NORML is a nonprofit educational organization that advocates for the legalization of cannabis use, according to Josh Chittum, the president of the organization.
PHOTO GALLERY: Former VFW commander speaks about marijuana policy
A former VFW commander spoke about marijuana policy Monday evening at the Columbia Public Library. The meeting was sponsored by NORML.
Photos by Yuting Jiang/Missourian
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Tom Mundell talks with Josh Chittum
Tom Mundell, a former VFW commander of Missouri, talks with Josh Chittum, the president of mid-Missouri NORML on Monday before a general meeting about the current status of the legalization of cannabis.
Tom Mundell gives a speech about the benefits of veterans using cannabis to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, alleviate pain and other issues Monday during a NORML meeting.
Audience at a general meeting of NORML listen to various speakers Monday at the Columbia Public Library. The mid-Missouri NORML is a nonprofit educational organization that advocates for the legalization of cannabis use, according to Josh Chittum, the president of the organization.
COLUMBIA — The first time Thomas W. Mundell encountered Barack Obama, he left the room without shaking the future president's hand.
But when they met for a second time Tuesday, Mundell was able to sit down and talk with the commander-in-chief about the possibility of legalizing marijuana.
Mundell fought in Vietnam and is a former commander of the Missouri chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, which held its 116th convention last week in Washington, D.C. He is also an outspoken advocate for reforming marijuana laws.
Members of the Mid-Missouri National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws met Monday night at the Columbia Public Library to present Mundell with the American flag that flew over the U.S Capitol on Flag Day. After receiving a triangular glass-faced wooden box containing the flag, Mundell spoke about the future of marijuana in Missouri.
Mundell shared stories of how other veterans and their families experienced episodes of suicidal thoughts. On an average day, he said, 22 American veterans take their own lives.
It is the shared goal of Mundell and NORML to change the federal legal status of marijuana, which has been classified as a Schedule I drug since 1970. Mundell said he noticed emotional improvement in some veterans after they were introduced to "cannabis or cannabis products."
In 2014, the Missouri legislature legalized the use of cannabidiol — a compound derived from marijuana — for people diagnosed with epilepsy. Mundell said it's not easy for a patient to receive the compound as medicine, however, as a prescription requires the involvement of a neurologist and multiple medical tests. More legislative action would be required for doctors to even suggest that marijuana itself be used to treat an illness.
To get the attention of politicians, Mundell said, emotional appeals are sometimes necessary — hence the stories about veteran suicides. He went on to stress that it was equally important to present well-supported scientific studies in order to justify a pro-marijuana position to groups such as the American Medical Association.
"We've lost 60 years of research, and we need to get that research going," Mundell said, referring to the limited ability of doctors to study the medical effects of marijuana.
Mundell said he has lobbied for more support for veterans and their families through his past VFW position. On Feb. 24, he testified before the House Emerging Issues Committee in favor of medical marijuana's capability to diminish the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.
On Monday, he emphasized to NORML the importance of going through the proper legal channels in order to achieve the desired result.
"You have to do it legally, and you have to do it right," Mundell said.
Mid-Missouri NORML President Josh Chittum encouraged the audience to participate and contribute to future legalization efforts. That message was seconded by Mundell, who acknowledged that younger people would be crucial in whatever future medical marijuana has in Missouri.
"If it gets legalized it will show the young people that the system actually works," Mundell said. "We start here in Columbia and make our way out."
