June 1, 2012

Helping People With PTSD Who Use Cannabis

June 1, 2012
washington state federal bill respect state marijuana laws adam smith

Add PTSD As A Qualifying Condition For Medical Marijuana

One reason I’m proud to be a Coloradan is that our state has one of the most effective medical marijuana laws in the country. Patients in Colorado derive great benefit from having safe and reliable access to top-quality medicine at reasonable prices.

But right now, a large number of Coloradans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) — including many veterans who have served our country — do not qualify to become medical marijuana patients. It breaks my heart to see so many people who deserve legal access to marijuana being forced to find their medicine on the streets.

In order to fix this problem, activists filed a petition with the state of Colorado earlier this week to have PTSD added as a qualifying condition for medical marijuana. Although the state rejected a similar petition in the past, we need to continue to keep trying and let state officials know what we think — so that veterans and other people with this condition can find some relief.

Sign our online petition right now to add PTSD as a qualifying condition for medical marijuana. We’ll be sure to send all your online signatures and comments to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the agency responsible for making this decision.

Of course, there is another way to help these patients. Amendment 64 would make the use of marijuana legal for all adults.

If we pass Amendment 64, it will no longer be necessary to “qualify” under state law to use marijuana. Instead, it would be sold throughout the state and would be available to anyone 21 years of age or older, whether they need it for medical reasons or not.

So a rejection of the petition, we believe, will only increase support for Amendment 64.

We are hoping that this fact will put pressure on the Department to add PTSD as a qualifying condition before the vote on Amendment 64 takes place this November. But until then, it’s crucial that you take a moment to sign our petition to the Department, which reads:

Please add PTSD as a qualifying condition for medical marijuana use in the state.

After you’ve signed the petition, please forward this email along to friends and family in Colorado who care about veterans, share it on Facebook, and post it on Twitter.

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