PERU, Ind. (WANE) Lawmakers will consider a number of bills pushing to legalize medical marijuana and the issue is gaining support among veteran organizations.

“Every 30 minutes a veteran dies from prescription pain medication overdose,’ Hoosier Veterans for Medical Cannabis organizer Jeff Staker said. “If you do the numbers you’re looking at 17,520 veterans dying each year.”

Staker said the answer is easy.

“Cannabis is a medication and it should be treated as such,” Staker said.

Hoosier Veterans for Medical Cannabis is a non-profit that has been pushing to legalize medical marijuana. He believes it can help veterans dealing with things like traumatic brain injuries and even post traumatic stress disorder. For months, he’s been reaching out to lawmakers and has gained support from the VFW, DAV and most recently the American Legion.

“I submitted a resolution to the American Legion that passed their mid-winter conference last week and I’ve got the support of over 100,000 veterans,” Staker said.

Staker said his mission won’t end until medical cannabis is made available to veterans in Indiana.

“The VA is cutting back on how they prescribe opiates. For me it wasn’t a problem to get off of it,” Staker said. “Unfortunately there are a lot of veterans out there that they became addicted to it and when you cut them off they are going to feed their addiction.”

To learn more about Hoosier Veterans for Medical Cannabis click here.