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Hundreds Of Vets Receive Pot Free Of Charge At Special Event

DENVER (CBS4) - Hundreds of military veterans received marijuana free of charge on Saturday. The unusual event included free medical marijuana and edibles.

Organizers designed the event specifically for veterans, but members of the public were also welcome.

A handful of Denver area businesses teamed up for the event specifically for veterans, but members of the public were also welcome. Hundreds lined up to get into the largest event ever hosted by Operation Grow4Vets.

"I've got PTSD, and yeah, I take marijuana that helps me to sleep at night," said Stephanie Burton, a veteran Army nurse.

Saturday's Denver Cannabis Giveaway also handed out 400 bags of marijuana-infused products to military veterans in need.

"I'm allergic to morphine opiates, I can't take them," said Mark Pitt, Vietnam-era veteran. "So I don't have much choice other than do that."

"Try to save some of the veterans who commit suicide and die from drug overdose every day in the United States," said Roger Martin, Operation Grow4Vets Executive Director.

RELATED: Colorado Man Offers Fellow Vets Free Pot Because It Changed His Life

Martin, who is also a veteran, says the alternative treatment changes lives.

"That's our mission, is to offer veterans a safe alternative to the dangerous prescription drugs that they're prescribed to deal with PTSD, TBI, chronic pain, and all sorts of other ailments," Martin said.

But some question the safety of giving out the green to the veteran population.

"It's a reckless way to operate," Bob Doyle with the Colorado Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) Coalition said.

Operation Grow4Vets
The Operation Grow4Vets event on Saturday (credit: CBS)

Doyle is calling for more extensive testing and protocol.

"These people are getting marijuana with varying degrees of potency and THC. That could cause things like paranoia," Doyle said. "Obviously things that we wouldn't want somebody with PTSD to be experiencing."

Operation Grow4Vets also announced its new Save 1,000 Vets Project. It aims to provide 1,000 veterans with a free lifetime supply of cannabis-infused products.

LINK: Operation Grow4Vets

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