Firefighter and former Marine hopes to convince lawmakers to legalize medicinal use in Indiana.

Firefighter and former Marine hopes to convince lawmakers to legalize medicinal use in Indiana.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries, and chronic pain are just a few of the service-related conditions veterans return home with.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries, and chronic pain are just a few of the service-related conditions veterans return home with.

Veterans recently joined a tour of a Nevada dispensary and testing lab to tell their stories of how medical marijuana has improved their lives since they left the military.

About 200 people gathered outside the Washington State Capitol on Friday for the second annual Veteran Suicide Awareness March to bring hope to war veterans and advocate for a bill that would include post traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury in the state’s medical cannabis program.

It was his experience with medical cannabis that got Stephen Mandile up in arms about providing better for Massachusetts veterans.

Veterans dealing with trauma and stress have a variety of treatment options available to them, but despite its legality in some states -- and some say, its superior effectiveness -- marijuana is not one of those options.

The program offers veterans an alternative to addictive pharmaceutical drugs.

Some veterans say their activism is driven by a desire to see the VA itself provide penalty-free marijuana to veterans suffering from PTSD.

Some veterans say their activism is driven by a desire to see the VA itself provide penalty-free marijuana to veterans suffering from PTSD.