“When I was a kid, I inhaled.” “That was the point.”
Senator Barack Obama
It was refreshing to hear Sen. Obama discuss his youthful cannabis use without shame in 2006. The adult man considered it a mistake but he was being real. He was elected President of the United States despite his admission. However, if President Obama was a Veteran filing for SC HCV, it’s possible that inhaling cannabis smoke would be viewed as evidence of a lifestyle that may have included injecting opiates into his veins. This is an extremist point of view and must be rejected.
After his tour in Vietnam, my DH, a kid, was stationed in Hawaii. He bought a small amount of cannabis and put it in his locker where it was promptly found during a routine inspection. He was demoted and locked up for 30-days without pay. He returned to duty as a private. This is the one drug incident that resulted in disciplinary action in his MRs. We’ll deal with his “willful misconduct” in the PTSD part of his claim because that’s where it belongs.
I’m concerned that his history of cannabis-only use will “muddy the waters” of the HCV part of a claim. But it shouldn’t. I’ve never seen cannabis use on any HCV risk factor list. It’s negative (a mistake) but evidence of nothing more. Without access to BVA case decisions, I can’t find out if any BVA judges have denied benefits based on:
“The Veteran smoked cannabis in the service–and afterwards–therefore injuring himself with HCV!”
My DH has been SVR since 2004 but the after effects of his HCV infection and treatment remain a daily challenge. We are certain that his HCV was acquired while he was in the service and will seek nexus letters for medical conclusions.
HCV may be declared a presumptive illness for veteran boomers if those afflicted with it file for benefits. A history of regular or occasional cannabis-use (in-service or post-service) shouldn’t deter one from filing for HCV because there is no causal link between the two. In other words, HCV is not a consequence of smoking cannabis (even once).
Nod stresses that for your lay testimony to be credible, it must be truthful. And even if negative evidence is in your records, it can be overcome.
asknod
Bethanie Spangenberg
kcraveiro
robinhoodesqvetsatty
Wesley McCauley
Veterans Claims Help 
I notice Kiedove refers to her DH fairly often, Is that shorthand for Designated Husband or Dearest Hubby? Delightfully Humorous? Deadbeat Husband? Inquiring minds need to know.
DH=means Dear Husband. DD=Dear Daughter DS=Dear Son
These are shorthand on shopping blogs and other online forums where women like to gather! But some men are into them too so DW may also be seen. So now you know!
Smoking pot and the war against drugs? Another straw man argument about it leading to abuse of stronger drugs. I recall if you were a drunk the military accepted this and sent you to rehab. If you got caught with a joint or fail a piss test then off to the stockade. It was better to be a drunk than a pot head. So today which is worse? A liver destroyed by HCV and cirrhosis or a liver full of THC and blood shot eyes? The president should be tested for HCV ASAP and have a liver biopsy just for shits and grins. Remember he also loves the muslim community so we know he inhaled some hashish somewhere in his travels. Will he still get a pension?