Oklahoma Veteran Says Medical Marijuana Better Than Pain Pills

Governor Fallin has added legalizing medicinal marijuana to the June ballot, and there are a lot of opinions on either side.

Cody Barlow is a Navy veteran and an Oklahoma native.

He said he takes so many prescriptions on a daily basis, he's actually considered leaving his home state, to move somewhere he could benefit from medicinal marijuana.

"2017 has averaged to about 9,000 pills," Barlow said. 

He said he takes 24 pills a day on average to deal with things like anxiety, PTSD, and physical pain.

"Chronic pain. I deal with back pain, neck pain, knees and ankles. I'm constantly in pain. Constantly having nightmares, flashbacks," Barlow said. 

He said he's tired of all these medications that come with horrible side effects, hardly making him feel any better.

That's why he says he'll vote a “yes" this June to legalizing medicinal marijuana in Oklahoma.

"I used to be just like everyone else. I was very against it, I was afraid of it. I thought if anybody had used it or hung out with that kind of crowd, they were bad people," said Barlow. 

He said he's tried several strands of marijuana in Colorado, where it's legal.

He said the instant relief was emotional for him.

"I tried about nine different strands when I was in Colorado just to see what the different benefits were, and it's not all the same," Barlow said. 

Barlow said, for him, it's a much better alternative than the countless prescriptions he uses on a daily basis.

"It'll be life changing for me having that access to a medication that truly helps me, versus all the other pills that I take," he said. 

He said he's even considered leaving home, to go somewhere he could legally use it.

"I don't want to leave Oklahoma. I love it here. This is all I've ever known, and I really want to see that medicine come here and help out a lot of people," he said.