Disabled Vet looking to see if colorado would be a good place for me.

Hi I posted this same thing in the california section and wanted to see how colorado compares,

I am a disabled Gulf War Vet on social security and VA disability with leukemia and some other issues related to the gulf war.
I am looking for a nice quite place in preferably within an hour's drive of a VA hospital.

I only make $1700 a month so I would need to grow my own and I wanted to find the most marijuana friendly place in that area.
I would have to do an indoor grow and am hoping there are possibly places up there I could rent that would be ok with that.
I am currently on lots of pain meds morphine, oxy, anti depressants, clonazpan, Chemotherapy that is permanent if you stop the chemo the cancer comes back and you die so that means sick forever.


Anyways that's my situation and I am hoping some people can give me some good information on possible places to live or where and how to find someone to rent from that is ok with all this

The main thing here is I need to be within an hours drive of a VA hospital and be able to live off that 1700 a month thats all I get on all my disabilities.

Do you need a hospital or would a VA clinic suffice?

I can try to speak to the western slope of Colorado. There are pluses and minuses, of course, but I would always choose the western slope over California. Less people, less pollution, fewer laws.

Grand Junction has a VA hospital, but isn't terribly weed-friendly from what I understand. Dispensaries are banned, and I'm fairly certain you can grow your own. Don't take my word on it though. Google is your friend because it seems like local laws change all the time. Cost of living is reasonable, it's a beautiful area, and there's a decent college and mall.

The other town I know that has a VA presence is Durango. There's a VA clinic there, and has a superb medical community in general. Durango is pretty weed-friendly, very beautiful, and quite expensive. It's smaller than Grand Junction and also has a college.

Hope this helps a little. Let me know if you have questions!

First off, thank you for your service. You deserve so much more from our govt. We would support you in anyway possible. I don't know about any of the VA stuff but I can say that if your looking for community, you have found it. We have a great very close knit group of folks here and would love for you to join it even if you don't move to this state. Welcome to riu, from chef and the colorado crew!

1st, Thank You for your service! It's a disgrace how our politicians treat our vets

that said, Colorado Springs has a large VA presence with the base down that way. It is also a cannabis friendly community and there are many inexpensive areas to live, esp if u don't mind a lil travel in the country. cost of living in general is decent. State healthcare system sucks ass though, better to have the VA.

GL, let us know if you end up this way, many of us would be more then happy to help you get your grow on and point you in the right directions

Well first off thanks for all the good information and well wishes.
I do need to see and oncologists every 3-6 months depending on how im doing so I have to drive to a clinic that has the oncology doctors.
I called and know the denver VA hospital does but an hour or so drive is what I do now to get to one so I can live a bit out and prefer to.

But I can also do some medical stuff like my frequent blood test at a local clinic which looks like colorado springs has.

Anyways I make $1700 a month total so Im gussing buying a house is out of the question.
Is there any way I can rent and do my own grow or will landlords evict me.
I wouldnt mind a mobile home either I just need someplace quite and clean size and pretty factor dont matter.

Again thanks for all the feedback seems like lots of frindly people here.
I am just getting so tired of the damn pills and want off of them but the pain is actually insanity claw your eyes out type pain without the meds so kind of stuck.

I used to live off nevada and mt something.. 800 for a two bed, I I had another spot around there for 650 two bed. Second landlord was oblivious, never even saw the first one sooooo, we (had a roommate while I was a culinary apprentice at the Broadmoor aka butthead centeral) grew our assess off! Tent, 1k hps, carbon filter and a fan, worked for year round greenery.

If you need to be close to VA hospital you will need to be near Denver. Colorado Springs has a VA clinic but not a hospital if I am right. Lots of retired vets here in Colorado Springs. The other towns that were mentioned are nice in thier on way but are very isolated in the state. If you like country living west slope but if you like city living the front range close to denver or colorado springs,

Colorado Springs is only an hour away from Denver and well within your range. I would live in the springs any day over Denver. Less crime less traffic way more military here. The cost of living is way lower in Colorado Springs rents water power are way lower here because Colorado springs owns their own utilities and have to keep rates low as possible. The smaller towns on the front range are nice but have way less ammenities and you would most likely be driving to Denver or the Springs for any treatments.

If you plan to grow like you said dont be afraid to call a place you like and ask what their policy is on MMJ. Some flat out say no we dont allow that and some like my complex allow me to grow if i am legal which I am. I even have an addendum in my lease saying I can grow. Very few places openly allow it but they are out there.

If you need some more info on Colorado springs I would be glad to help you out on the good and bad areas. Message me on here with any questions and I will do what I can to help. If you come to the springs I can recommend a doctor for you to get your card. She is a legit American doctor and not some fly by night doctor from overseas here to just write recommendations to any one who pays. She does this on side from her job working in a nursing home. Very compassionate doctor that dont wear blinders or scared to help the sick.

Thanks for your service and I hope you find a wonderful place to live and fall in love with Colorado like I did.

Well thanks for the information everyone.

However I have discovered some extremely shitty information on how the VA handles medical marijuana users.
If the VA finds out you are using MMJ they will pull all your pain meds and anything else they feel like.
So that leaves me in a situation that if MMJ does not work for me I am completely screwed as they will have me marked as a illicit drug user regardless if it's ok or not in the state because VA is federal.

So I am very saddened by all this as this was my last sort of dream left that I thought might make my life worth living again.
Any way's just going over whether or not to pull the plug on the chemo and be done with it all when all your dreams are gone and everyday is pain and sickness what is the point really.

Not trying to bum anyone out I really got some good insight into everything and what I can and cannot do with my future.
And just to let everyone know I have no choice but to use the VA my chemo treatment is $6000 a month for the rest of my life.
There is simply no other way to pay for this besides the VA even when I had a good job and insurance I went bankrupt basically.

The CO State MMJ Registry is not open for review by any agencies and there is no way for the VA to know you are a card holder unless you tell them. Alternately, the CO State constitutional amendment only says you need a Dr's Recommendation - while they want everyone to register, there are cases that have been won based on the Consitutional law, and being a TRUE patient with records to back you up, you should have no issues. They are focusing on 'caregivers' and others that are producing large amounts in excess of their Dr's recommendations and state laws, and selling that excess on the black market. keep it tight, keep it within your state rights and you will be OK.

the situation the cops want to avoid is exactly yours: bust a chemo patient that is just growing to take care of themselves and see how the media reacts.

don't despair bro, sending much love your way.


just a side note .... the VA in WA State was on an interesting track re: MMJ in the last couple years, I think the Admin there is pushing for MMJ rights. at one point they were looking at purchasing property to do their own medical grow and create medical grade cannabis for the patients. this is what they should all be doing. can you imagine how many volunteers there would be for the greenhouses? this is one reason Big Pharma hates MMJ .... it cuts in on their profiting off the sick and dying. imagine patients growing their own meds ..... blasphemy!!!

Damn.... Keep us posted... You have a lot of people pulling for you here. I hope that we can help..

lostguy said:

However I have discovered some extremely shitty information on how the VA handles medical marijuana users.
If the VA finds out you are using MMJ they will pull all your pain meds and anything else they feel like.

Click to expand...

First, let me say, LostGuy, that your personal resolve to stare-down your illness is an inspiration to all of us that are suffering... I have Mixed Connective Tissue Disease which cut me down in my prime at the age of 32... For many months I was pessimistic and just felt like giving up... Financial woes... Here I am unable to work any longer, and have a wife and children to somehow feed... and all of this while I am unable to even get out of bed... furthermore, my lawyers have yet to secure my disability benefits...

All of these are reasons for anguish and desperation... but observing the examples of ones such as yourself, makes us all stronger... it gives us new-found resiliency, and where anger and hurt once were, there is courage and hope...

Thank You...

P.S. I am neither a lawyer or doctor, but what you described regarding the doctors at the VA depriving you of treatment and medications sounds like premeditated malpractice in the worst degree... If the VA doctors are doing as you say, this would be diametrically opposed to the sentiment of the Hippocratic oath...

lostguy said:

Well thanks for the information everyone.

However I have discovered some extremely shitty information on how the VA handles medical marijuana users.
If the VA finds out you are using MMJ they will pull all your pain meds and anything else they feel like.
So that leaves me in a situation that if MMJ does not work for me I am completely screwed as they will have me marked as a illicit drug user regardless if it's ok or not in the state because VA is federal.

Click to expand...

Well I have some good news for you! You are incorrect about the VA's treatment of patients who benefit from using marijuana.

What you describe used to be the rule, it was changed in a memo in Jan 2010. The memo said that the VA would no longer deny opiate pain meds to patients who use marijuana in states where it is legal. Likewise using MMJ would not affect your chances of getting a transplant, or any other medical procedure.

I'm a Vietnam Vet, and my VA doctors know about my marijuana use. They even supplied a psychotherapist to help me deal with my anger issues after the swat pigs raided my grow house at dawn.

Make the move to a MMJ friendly state, and you'll never go back.

@PatientFutura
Well thanks for the kind words just to let you know it took one year almost exactly for them to approve my SSDI so while I did basically loss everything my house and savings.
The good news is they give you back pay once they approve you so you should get a nice big fat check once that is done. And the right thing to do is get a lawyer or disability advocate right of the bat because they almost always deny you first pretty much so you have to appeal and it just makes it easier for the lawyers to handle it all.
Mine charged me nothing until I got my SSDI then they took 25% of my first big check but it was well worth it because there was no way I could do it on my own.
So anyways good luck with SSDI I worked full time from 16-39 thats when I got diagnosed and tried another 7 months of working and had a nervous breakdown from it lol , was told to leave the job I loved for the past 8 years really killed me but what are you to do.

@rollitup
Yes I read the new memo there is some wording in it that really concerns me it states that it is up to the doctors to decide if MMJ and their current meds are the right treament path.
And I have already had to avoid one oncologist because he refused me pain meds said I didnt need them the bastard. Anyways I go to the director of oncology now for my doctor and he says pain meds are normal and gives me what I need.
But just one bad doctor can screw everything up which scares the hell out of me.

Anyways I am hopefully less then 6 months out now on some new claims I put in with the VA " over a year wating already" that will hopefully be approved which will give me a better disability rating with them so more money.
And thats when I am going to try to take the plunge I am looking at colorado spring right now I think it has a VA clinic and is close to denver for my oncology/cancer/chemo stuff.

So I am trying to keep positive its hard sometimes wathcing myself waste away normally around 190lbs at 145 now but just cant eat much body wont do it.

Anyways thanks for the responses it keeps my hopes up that I can have a different path to choose then what I am stuck on now.

I just stumbled across this thread; must have been divine intervention. Firstly, thank you for your service sir! You are a true man of honor. I was sitting here on my personal pity pot. I am in poor health too, who isn't, and am on the verge of loosing my last resort for a home. Lost mine a year and a half ago so I moved into part of my store. OK house, etc, but anyway, I'm sittin' here feelin' sorry for myself when I read what's going on with you and realize how great I have it. So I guess that I am trying to thank you for haring your situation. You have helped me immensely. Besides much love and prayers for you here, please hang in there. Behind every cloud there's a silver lining and you'll see it, and soon too. Don't despair; there's a lot of really great people here... USE THEM ALL! Although I am from California, I can still be there for you in whatever way I can be...