If the voices of 8,258 people asking for change can’t be heard, how will change ever happen?
Believing they could help military veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, 8,258 people signed a petition urging the Obama administration to allow the legalized use of medical marijuana for those showing symptoms of the disorder.
But National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske shot down the petition, saying marijuana is not a benign drug, nor does it meet necessary safety standards for medicine, according to USA TODAY.
In his response, Kerlikowske said the president “directed all his policymakers to develop policies on science and research, not ideology or politics.” But he did not mention the cancer treatment and “research” which has proven marijuana to be a credible and legal medication in seventeen states today.
Kerlikowske said the petition (The Allow United States Disabled Military Veterans Access to Medical Marijuana To Treat Their PTSD petition) would also require another 25,000 signatures before warranting a response.
The petition was created in 2011 by Mike Krawitz, a former Air Force sergeant who is now the executive director of Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access. He told Military Times in October that cannabis would be a life saving treatment for many military veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress. But Kerlikowske said marijuana use could lead to cognitive impairment, respiratory illnesses and addiction.
“Marijuana use is a significant source for voluntary drug treatment admissions and visits to the emergency room,” Kerlikowske said.
It would be interesting to see how many veterans with post traumatic stress instead have turned to alcohol or are now fighting alcohol addiction.
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