Texas military veterans gathered Wednesday at the Capitol to press lawmakers and Gov. Greg Abbott to allow for the medical use of marijuana, saying the drug offers life-saving treatment for those afflicted with chronic pain, brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I wake up each day in pain," said retired Army Sgt. Javier Tovias of Edinburg, who stopped taking prescription pain medication because of adverse health effects.

"Cannabis offers relief … and gives me a semblance of hope, but if I want to heal myself, I must choose to do so illegally," Tovias said during a news conference next to the Capitol’s Vietnam Veterans Monument. "I’ve seen far too many of my brothers and sisters suffering from the harmful effects of prescription pills, and we are allowed no other option in treatment."

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Veterans also delivered a letter, written by retired Army Maj. David Bass and co-signed by 1,413 other veterans, to Abbott’s office to request a meeting to discuss the governor’s opposition to the expanded use of marijuana for medical purposes.

"Cannabis," Bass wrote, "is more effective and safer than the current pharmaceutical drugs used to treat our injuries."

A medical marijuana program, overseen by state regulators, would let veterans stop purchasing marijuana from "questionable sources" and use cannabis safely under a doctor’s supervision, Bass told Abbott.

"We are taxpayers, voters, homeowners and law-abiding citizens who believe that we have earned the right to make informed decisions about our health," the letter said.

The veterans also urged passage of Senate Bill 269 by state Sen. Jose Menéndez, D-San Antonio, which would enable doctors to recommend marijuana and cannabis products — purchased from licensed dispensers — for registered patients who would receive an identification card.

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Menéndez said the bill is a priority because cannabis has been shown to offer safe treatment options for people suffering from many debilitating and chronic medical conditions.

Parents of autistic children also have been to the Capitol to support SB 269, saying cannabis can quickly and effectively calm violent episodes, particularly with children who would otherwise injure themselves.

In hopes of building support for the medical use of marijuana, Menéndez said he is pressing for a committee hearing on SB 269 "so we can hear the medical perspective on this issue."

"Why do we as politicians say we know better than the doctors?" Menéndez said. "So many of our chronic pain sufferers, many of them veterans, are dying of accidental overdoses of opioid-based painkillers."