Hey there,<\/p>\n
You know, I\u2019ve been in some tight spots.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve felt the wind of ordinance closer than I\u2019d care to remember.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve witnessed carnage and held a brother\u2019s hand as he watched the lights go dim.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve had to face the ugly reality of my kids almost having to grow up without me being by their<\/p>\n
side.<\/p>\n
So why the hell am I sweating something as trivial as writing a damn email?<\/p>\n
Why the fuck am I so worried that I\u2019m gonna screw this message up?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not because you\u2019re expecting me to write like Mark Twain, which I promise I can\u2019t do.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not just because if you hit the delete button, real human lives could be lost.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not only because what I\u2019m going to share with you means more to me than you can possibly<\/p>\n
imagine.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s because I\u2019m sick and tired of putting on my wrinkled old black tie and watching<\/p>\n
another flag get folded over the coffin of a hero who couldn\u2019t take the pain any longer.<\/p>\n
I am exhausted by the thought of consoling another grieving mother who can\u2019t understand why<\/p>\n
her son won\u2019t be eating turkey with the family this Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n
I am broken every time I have to hug a wife putting on a brave face for her kids \u2014 who\u2019ve lost<\/p>\n
the most important man in their lives.<\/p>\n
This has got to stop.<\/p>\n
So, promise me one small thing: that you\u2019ll read this email to the very end.<\/p>\n
If you even remotely care about the lives of the veterans who\u2019ve fought for your liberty, don\u2019t you<\/p>\n
dare stop reading this message.<\/p>\n
I know I\u2019m no Shakespeare.<\/p>\n
I know this ain\u2019t fun.<\/p>\n
I totally get that I\u2019ve forced you into making a choice.<\/p>\n
Either you hear me out, or you spend the rest of your day feeling guilty about not doing so.<\/p>\n
Maybe I should be more diplomatic.<\/p>\n
Maybe I should pull my punches.<\/p>\n
But the stakes are just to high.<\/p>\n
You see, in the time it\u2019s taken me to write this damn email three American Heroes have taken<\/p>\n
their own lives.<\/p>\n
And in the time it\u2019s taken you to read it, another one has picked up a gun and is looking down<\/p>\n
the barrel.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s how serious this problem is.<\/p>\n
Right now over three hundred thousand vets, like me, are suffering from PTSD.<\/p>\n
Most of them are taking an explosive cocktail of between 6 and 8 highly addictive psycho-active<\/p>\n
medications that just don\u2019t work!<\/p>\n
And you know what the most common side-effect of these meds is?<\/p>\n
Yep, suicide.<\/p>\n
Believe me, I know what I\u2019m talking about because I\u2019ve been there.<\/p>\n
Those same goddamned meds put me in intensive care for 5 days while my wife contemplated<\/p>\n
raising our kids alone.<\/p>\n
Now, after switching to cannabis, I\u2019ve got my life back, and I can look at the future with hope.<\/p>\n
One story, however, does not prove anything.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, the scientific studies that are being conducted all point in the same direction.<\/p>\n
Dr. Suzanne Sisley, a psychiatrist and renowned expert on the treatment of PTSD with medical<\/p>\n
cannabis, explains some of the difficulties, “I feel like I have an important story to tell about how<\/p>\n
science has been trumped by politics.”<\/p>\n
We are told to believe that these horrible suicide statistics are the inevitable result of PTSD<\/p>\n
combined with the suicidal side effects of the best treatments available.<\/p>\n
But this just isn’t true.<\/p>\n
If that were the best we could do, it would be sad, but we\u2019d just have to suck up and live with it.<\/p>\n
If there were no viable alternatives, it would be tragic but understandable.<\/p>\n
But the fact is that cannabis really works.<\/p>\n
When used in a controlled and responsible manner, it\u2019s been proven to help vets overcome the<\/p>\n
crippling and devastating symptoms of PTSD.<\/p>\n
And most importantly, it doesn\u2019t provoke suicidal side effects.<\/p>\n
So why are veterans being denied the right to use cannabis?<\/p>\n
Even in states where medical cannabis is legal?<\/p>\n
Good question, no?<\/p>\n
Obviously, eight to ten very expensive medications generate much more profit than a simple<\/p>\n
plant you could grow in your backyard.<\/p>\n
Who knows what’s going on in the executive suites of the big pharmaceutical companies?<\/p>\n
Every year the department of defense and the VA spend $3.3 billion on medications and<\/p>\n
therapies for PTSD.<\/p>\n
Neither department keeps track of the actual patient outcomes of these treatments.<\/p>\n
The honest-to-God facts are that cannabis is cheap and can\u2019t be patented.<\/p>\n
While I won’t make claims I can’t prove, I have no doubt that three billion dollars is a prize these<\/p>\n
companies aren’t willing to give up.<\/p>\n
After all, compared to these numbers, what are eight thousand dead heroes?<\/p>\n
But like I said earlier, I\u2019m sick and tired of attending funerals.<\/p>\n
The Weed for Warriors Project, for which I\u2019m spokesperson, has launched an indiegogo<\/p>\n
campaign to drive awareness for the need to help prevent veteran suicides with medical<\/p>\n
marijuana.<\/p>\n
You can click here and read about what we\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n
This week we start off on a cross the country journey to bring awareness to the problem and the<\/p>\n
solution.<\/p>\n
On Saturday we start in Los Angeles on a trip that will end in Washington D.C. on Veteran\u2019s<\/p>\n
Day.<\/p>\n
Along the way we\u2019ll be collecting empty pill bottles that we\u2019re going to dump on the White House<\/p>\n
lawn.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll be filming the stories of veterans who are struggling and need our support.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll be talking with community leaders, celebrities and policy makers about the lives that are<\/p>\n
being needlessly thrown away \u2014 all for the sake of corporate profits.<\/p>\n
So here\u2019s the pitch.<\/p>\n
Will you help me?<\/p>\n
Do you care enough about these men and women to actually do something?<\/p>\n
Can you spare a few dollars? Visit http:\/\/igg.me\/at\/cannaballrun4vets\/x\/11073708 and make a<\/p>\n
contribution.<\/p>\n
Can you come join us at a rally along the way? Click here to see our schedule.<\/p>\n
Can you mail an empty pill bottle with a message to your congressman or senator?<\/p>\n
Look, I know I\u2019ve taken up too much of your time.<\/p>\n
I get it.<\/p>\n
There are a lot of great causes out there, and they all deserve attention.<\/p>\n
But if you can just finish this message with one clear message understand this:<\/p>\n
We\u2019re not talking about vets getting high and laughing while they get the munchies.<\/p>\n
This is not a frivolous matter.<\/p>\n
The use of medical cannabis to treat PTSD is about saving lives.<\/p>\n
It is about helping heroes become functioning productive members of society.<\/p>\n
It is about giving them the effective treatment that they deserve.<\/p>\n
Thank you for hearing me out.<\/p>\n
Thank you for doing your part and reading this message.<\/p>\n
Thank you for caring about vets like me.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s true, I\u2019ve been through some touchy situations.<\/p>\n
But with your help and support, maybe we can put an end to the steady flow of veterans\u2019<\/p>\n
suicides.<\/p>\n
Take care and thanks one last time.<\/p>\n
Yours,<\/p>\n
Sean<\/p>\n
P.S. Here\u2019s the link to our campaign: http:\/\/bit.ly\/1F6OeMc<\/p>\n