By Pat Orr
For the Apple Valley Review

Last week I had the pleasure of accompanying my friend Bill McDaniel to Sacramento where he was honored as our 33rd Assembly District’s Veteran of the Year. Accompanied by our Assemblyman Jay Obernolte, R-Hesperia, we attended a luncheon with about 70 or so other Assemblymembers, their honorees, family and friends.

What a remarkable group of patriots gathered in one room.

This annual event is sponsored by a number of veterans organizations and private donors and happens right before the Fourth of July each year.

What is inspiring is the biographies of each of the honorees that detail not only their accomplishments while in the service of our country, but what they continued to achieve outside and beyond their military service.

We had two other “Veterans of the Year” on our early morning flight from Ontario to Sacramento and got to know a little about each over the course of the day, and like many other honorees that day they had remarkable stories.

Escorted by her daughter, the 102-year-old lady who had flown in the World War II Women’s Air Force is still going strong as she refused a wheelchair and preferred to use her walker on and off the plane. Her bio said she was the first woman to solo in the Marauder Fighter Bomber in order to be able to ferry the plane to bases overseas. She wanted badly to get into the fight and not stay behind as a “Rosie the Riveter” so she did what she could to aid the war effort.

There was a retired sergeant-major from the Marine Corps who had been through most of the major Pacific Theater battles and was present at the famous flag raising over Iwo Jima.

World War II ended over 70 years ago and there were only three vets from that era in the room and two of the three fought in Korea also. By far, the biggest contingent of comrades fought in Southeast Asia.

The men and women who returned from service in Vietnam received none of the accolades that followed soldiers home from other conflicts and as such they seem to have a closer bond of a shared experience both in battle and in the home after life.

This group too is aging and thinning out quickly but has a strong core contingent in many veterans organizations that keeps the strong ties between comrades together. Many of the “young bucks” from Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom and the Afghan campaigns were in the room too and many of our current crop of legislators have service in the Middle East theater on their resumes.

Interestingly, many of the current returning vets survive injuries and situations because of improved medical and military technology that their World War II and Vietnam brothers-in-arms could not, which makes the sacrifice of lost limbs or physical incapacity much more evident today than with past returning service personnel. Americans used to hear “war is hell” in the '40s, '50s and '60s but now we see it daily in those who survive and come home.

On this, the day after our nation’s birthday, a day which would not happen if it wasn’t for the men and women who have sacrificed life, limb and liberty since 1776 for an ideal, we must remember to thank all who have served and remember those who did not return in an eternal commitment to the statement that “freedom isn’t free.”

Pot’s biggest problem

Last week, there was a lengthy heart-tugging presentation by the High Desert Cannabis Association to our Town Council. It was informative and structured to bring together in one spot the positive aspects of what is coming — namely, the legalization of commercial growing, manufacture and retail sales of cannabis.

As I have said in this space before I fully understand the benefits of medical cannabis oils and extracts on many defined conditions from cancer to PTSD.

What seems to be marijuana’s biggest problem is that the federal government still classifies it as illegal.

Twenty-five states have said otherwise yet there is no way for the Food and Drug Administration or “legitimate” drug company research labs to get involved in the testing and certification of this beneficial drug.

The HDCA wants to agitate for acceptance and standards for medical cannabis. According to their attorneys, under existing and the new proposed law (which is sure to pass in California in November), the Town can structure its own local rules for what we allow within town borders. You may allow cultivation but no retail sales, etc. That seems likely to be challenged in the future but it sounds good right now.

The primary issue remains that cannabis is here to stay. Do we keep it underground, impure and unresearched or try to convince the federal government to do what they do best — regulate the heck out of it? I have suggested to Assemblyman Obernolte that he try to get the California Legislature to pass an Advisory Resolution asking Congress to consider reclassifying cannabis so it can come under FDA control.

I would like to hope Rep. Paul Cook, R-Apple Valley, might also consider taking up this cause as he surely knows what cannabis use has meant to veterans from his service era. Coming from two relatively conservative Republicans, this idea may actually get traction and change the conversation from "How do we stop kids from smoking pot?" to "How do we make sure this drug is safely tested and manufactured to help the most in need?"

Yes, putting cannabis “in the system” will take time but it’s better than sneaking around, violating the law and trusting that the stuff synthesized in some guy’s garage is OK to ingest.

Will your kids try marijuana when it is legal? I don’t know.

Will they steal some of your vodka from the cabinet or pop one of your pills from the medicine chest? At some point, parenting comes into play here too.

— Pat Orr is a local business owner, community volunteer and political junkie.