An effort to persuade the Obama administration to legalize marijuana for sufferers of post-traumatic stress was met with rejection from the White House.
Responding to a petition signed by 8,258 people on the White House website, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy Gil Kerlikowske wrote last month that marijuana is not a “benign drug” and does not meet standards of safe or effective medicine.
“When the President took office, he directed all his policymakers to develop policies on science and research, not ideology or politics,” Kerlikowske wrote.
The White House usually requires 25,000 signatures before it will respond to such petitions.
The “Allow United States Disabled Military Veterans Access To Medical Marijuana To Treat Their PTSD” petition was launched last year by former Air Force sergeant Mike Krawitz, executive director of Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access.
Krawitz said he launched the drive partially out of concern that veterans sometimes risk losing their Veterans Affairs Department medical coverage if they are found to smoke pot.
“For many, cannabis not only treats PTSD, it’s a lifesaver,” Krawitz told Military Times in October.
– Read the entire article at USA Today.
