Canna ChronicleHey there,
You know, I’ve been in some tight spots.
I’ve felt the wind of ordinance closer than I’d care to remember.
I’ve witnessed carnage and held a brother’s hand as he watched the lights go dim.
I’ve had to face the ugly reality of my kids almost having to grow up without me being by their
side.
So why the hell am I sweating something as trivial as writing a damn email?
Why the fuck am I so worried that I’m gonna screw this message up?
It’s not because you’re expecting me to write like Mark Twain, which I promise I can’t do.
It’s not just because if you hit the delete button, real human lives could be lost.
It’s not only because what I’m going to share with you means more to me than you can possibly
imagine.
It’s because I’m sick and tired of putting on my wrinkled old black tie and watching
another flag get folded over the coffin of a hero who couldn’t take the pain any longer.
I am exhausted by the thought of consoling another grieving mother who can’t understand why
her son won’t be eating turkey with the family this Thanksgiving.
I am broken every time I have to hug a wife putting on a brave face for her kids — who’ve lost
the most important man in their lives.
This has got to stop.
So, promise me one small thing: that you’ll read this email to the very end.
If you even remotely care about the lives of the veterans who’ve fought for your liberty, don’t you
dare stop reading this message.
I know I’m no Shakespeare.
I know this ain’t fun.
I totally get that I’ve forced you into making a choice.
Either you hear me out, or you spend the rest of your day feeling guilty about not doing so.
Maybe I should be more diplomatic.
Maybe I should pull my punches.
But the stakes are just to high.
You see, in the time it’s taken me to write this damn email three American Heroes have taken
their own lives.
And in the time it’s taken you to read it, another one has picked up a gun and is looking down
the barrel.
That’s how serious this problem is.
Right now over three hundred thousand vets, like me, are suffering from PTSD.
Most of them are taking an explosive cocktail of between 6 and 8 highly addictive psycho-active
medications that just don’t work!
And you know what the most common side-effect of these meds is?
Yep, suicide.
Believe me, I know what I’m talking about because I’ve been there.
Those same goddamned meds put me in intensive care for 5 days while my wife contemplated
raising our kids alone.
Now, after switching to cannabis, I’ve got my life back, and I can look at the future with hope.
One story, however, does not prove anything.
Fortunately, the scientific studies that are being conducted all point in the same direction.
Dr. Suzanne Sisley, a psychiatrist and renowned expert on the treatment of PTSD with medical
cannabis, explains some of the difficulties, “I feel like I have an important story to tell about how
science has been trumped by politics.”
We are told to believe that these horrible suicide statistics are the inevitable result of PTSD
combined with the suicidal side effects of the best treatments available.
But this just isn’t true.
If that were the best we could do, it would be sad, but we’d just have to suck up and live with it.
If there were no viable alternatives, it would be tragic but understandable.
But the fact is that cannabis really works.
When used in a controlled and responsible manner, it’s been proven to help vets overcome the
crippling and devastating symptoms of PTSD.
And most importantly, it doesn’t provoke suicidal side effects.
So why are veterans being denied the right to use cannabis?
Even in states where medical cannabis is legal?
Good question, no?
Obviously, eight to ten very expensive medications generate much more profit than a simple
plant you could grow in your backyard.
Who knows what’s going on in the executive suites of the big pharmaceutical companies?
Every year the department of defense and the VA spend $3.3 billion on medications and
therapies for PTSD.
Neither department keeps track of the actual patient outcomes of these treatments.
The honest-to-God facts are that cannabis is cheap and can’t be patented.
While I won’t make claims I can’t prove, I have no doubt that three billion dollars is a prize these
companies aren’t willing to give up.
After all, compared to these numbers, what are eight thousand dead heroes?
But like I said earlier, I’m sick and tired of attending funerals.
The Weed for Warriors Project, for which I’m spokesperson, has launched an indiegogo
campaign to drive awareness for the need to help prevent veteran suicides with medical
marijuana.
You can click here and read about what we’re doing.
This week we start off on a cross the country journey to bring awareness to the problem and the
solution.
On Saturday we start in Los Angeles on a trip that will end in Washington D.C. on Veteran’s
Day.
Along the way we’ll be collecting empty pill bottles that we’re going to dump on the White House
lawn.
We’ll be filming the stories of veterans who are struggling and need our support.
We’ll be talking with community leaders, celebrities and policy makers about the lives that are
being needlessly thrown away — all for the sake of corporate profits.
So here’s the pitch.
Will you help me?
Do you care enough about these men and women to actually do something?
Can you spare a few dollars? Visit http://igg.me/at/cannaballrun4vets/x/11073708 and make a
contribution.
Can you come join us at a rally along the way? Click here to see our schedule.
Can you mail an empty pill bottle with a message to your congressman or senator?
Look, I know I’ve taken up too much of your time.
I get it.
There are a lot of great causes out there, and they all deserve attention.
But if you can just finish this message with one clear message understand this:
We’re not talking about vets getting high and laughing while they get the munchies.
This is not a frivolous matter.
The use of medical cannabis to treat PTSD is about saving lives.
It is about helping heroes become functioning productive members of society.
It is about giving them the effective treatment that they deserve.
Thank you for hearing me out.
Thank you for doing your part and reading this message.
Thank you for caring about vets like me.
It’s true, I’ve been through some touchy situations.
But with your help and support, maybe we can put an end to the steady flow of veterans’
suicides.
Take care and thanks one last time.
Yours,
Sean
P.S. Here’s the link to our campaign: http://bit.ly/1F6OeMc