Social Security is Terminating My Benefits.

Today I want to blog to you not just as FibroMan, but as Marc Smith.

I am a disabled Navy veteran and have been unable to work due to my injuries obtained while serving. Basically what happened to me was I was servicing oxygen equipment on a Navy aircraft and when finished I slipped down the steps that lead up to the plane. This fall caused me to get a chronic pain condition known as fibromyalgia. This is why I’ve called myself FibroMan if that was not obvious.

Anyway after my medical discharge from the Navy in late 2008, I attempted employment, but I started to get worse than I was during my medical discharge. I filed for Social Security Disability and after a couple denials I was able to get a lawyer and see a judge. I won and started receiving my benefits around 2010.

Yesterday, I got a letter telling me that after reviewing my case they have determined that my health has improved enough that they do not consider me disabled anymore and will stop my benefits starting in March.

The only real reason I can think of this is my cannabis use over pharmaceutical medications. When I started getting social security in 2010, I was taking around 3 pages of pills. I was still taking those medications when I had my first review in 2014. However, shortly after that first review I had started taking cannabis. I did ask social security why I was being reviewed again so soon at the beginning of this process. I was told that there was a push to process more reviews from this administration. So it is also possible this is part of this administrations war on the sick and poor. Although I think my medical cannabis use was their reasoning to remove me specifically.

Cannabis has greatly improved my quality of life and I honesty do not think I would still be alive today if I was not taking cannabis. In fact I know I would not be. My pain was just too uncontrollable before I found cannabis. While I am appreciate all that cannabis has done to help me manage my fibromyalgia better it has not cured me. I still am unable to do many things and if I do to much this flares my pain making me unable to do anything. My limitations are real.

Yet, Social Security sees that I am not taking pages of pills and since social security is a federal agency and federally cannabis is not recognized as medicine they are most likely looking at it as if I am not taking any medication. Ignoring that I need to use cannabis to manage my pain. Now I faced with the fact that I will not have enough money to pay for all my bills. That I am going to have to find some way to generate some income.

In the mean time, I’m somehow suppose to find a job that will pay me enough, let me have a flexible work schedule do to my illness, let me use my medicine at work and not flare my fibromyalgia.

I can appeal their decision, however, due to my cannabis use I do not think that will go anywhere. I also am scared of the appeal for one big reason. While they still pay you during the appeal process if you loose the appeal then you are billed for all the money they pay you during that period. That kind of dept could ruin anyone. I am going to talk to the original lawyer office I used that won my case to see if they have any suggestions.

To all of you that like what I do here on my blog conceder becoming a patron of mine on Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/fibroman This will help me pay for my website renewal that is coming up and purchase future cannabis related item to review and maybe even one day get video equipment to start a youtube.

Thank you for listening (reading) my story. Consider sharing it to spread awareness of how the federal government treats cannabis patients.

And as always,
Spread Cannabis Knowledge!

Marc Smith aka
FibroMan