A protester holds up a bud last Saturday at a public smoke-in outside the White House. (Photo by Benjamin Strahs)

Organizers are using D.C.’s Initiative 71 to provide cannabis to veterans struggling with physical and mental ailments this Saturday outside the Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Brandon Wyatt, a veteran who served in Iraq, says that he used to take around eight pills per day once he returned. “Each pill had a side effect that I needed another pill to deal with,” he says.

Now a lawyer and an activist in D.C., Wyatt wants people to realize that the issue of legalizing weed isn’t a joke—it has serious repercussions for people who want to use cannabis to get a handle on their chronic pain or post traumatic stress disorder. That’s why he wants to provide vets with free edibles and educate them about its medicinal properties.

Wyatt says the “Salute to Service” is a continuation of an event held this past Veterans Day, where vets dumped empty prescription bottles outside the White House to lobby for a change in medical marijuana policy. Under federal law, the drug is considered a Schedule 1 classified substance, meaning it has a “high potential for abuse” and “no currently accepted medical use.”

Wyatt couldn’t disagree more. “It’s a misclassification. For people who can’t afford to buy [cannabis], how can you treat yourself? It’s not covered by the VA.” Wyatt knows many fellow vets who would rather medicate with cannabis products. One man served he with—a triple amputee living in California—prefers treating his injuries with cannabidiol to a cocktail of prescriptions.

The Drug Enforcement Agency announced this week it was considering a reclassification of marijuana, an action Wyatt attributes to activism. “Now people are seeing that it’s a medical concern.”

Several local groups will provide between 600 and 700 edible pot treats to veterans at “Salute to Service,” as well as some loose joints, though Wyatt says that “it’s an edible-focused event.” He expects veterans from all over the region to attend.

While they will not bring any weed-infused products onto VA property, “we will go as close as we can legally,” Wyatt says. There will also be organizers inside the building, sans edibles, to usher out veterans to the giveaway.

The weather forecast for this Saturday doesn’t concern him. “It’ll be a cold, rainy day—kind of like basic training,” he says.

For non-veterans looking to take advantage of the gifting aspect of Initiative 71, DCMJ marijuana activists will be hosting a seed giveaway outside of the White House the following Saturday.

Salute to Service will be held from noon to 4:21 p.m. on Saturday, April 9 outside the Veterans Affairs Medical Center at the corner of North Capitol and Michigan Ave. NW. They’re asking that veterans bring a DD214 or VA card.