This bothers veterans. “We’re sick of being marginalized,” Kiernan said. “We feel the politicians have been ignoring us.” For perspective, he cited 9/11, when nearly 3,000 people died in the terror attacks and the U.S. response was massive and expensive. But with roughly 8,000 veterans committing suicide every year, politicians pay little attention. “At some point, even if it’s not politically acceptable or not what you want to be remembered as [doing], the compassion and the empathy with regards to people who have sacrificed so much [mean that descheduling marijuana] is something President Obama should do,” Kiernan said. Beyond veterans’ issues, the illegal status of cannabis has increased mass incarceration and disproportionately harmed communities of color. Mounting evidence also shows that marijuana could help the opioid addiction crisis in America’s civilian community by replacing those addictive substances. Another organizer who participated in the die-in explained his perspective on the issue of legalization. Brandon Wyatt, policy coordinator for Weed for Warriors, served in the military during the beginning of the Iraq War and came home with serious mental health issues. Marijuana was the only thing that helped set him on a path to recovery. “I think the president should set rescheduling as a goal and a decriminalization expungement process,” Wyatt said. Obama’s legacy includes fighting for health care and ending the Iraq War, and veterans like Wyatt think the president should “finish his legacy” by legalizing cannabis. Legalization can be accomplished in two ways: Either Congress passes a bill to take marijuana off the list of controlled substances or the Drug Enforcement Administration deschedules it on its own. The DEA has announced it will consider rescheduling the drug by the middle of 2016, but advocates aren’t optimistic anything will happen. “Ideally, we would have liked to have seen the president use some of his political capital to encourage lawmakers and administrations to take a serious look at either rescheduling or descheduling cannabis,” Paul Armentano, deputy director for the marijuana advocacy group NORML, told Truthdig. Armentano pointed out Obama’s current “hands-off” policies on states’ legalizing marijuana don’t “necessarily extend to future administrations,” so the next president could erase the legalization progress made by citizens. The fact that the next president could cancel positive developments that have occurred while Obama has let states take control of marijuana laws is why he must act now. Hillary Clinton, for instance, has aligned herself with the president. A statement of support for legalization from Obama could help her switch from someone who wants to explore further medical research and the possibility of rescheduling the substance to someone who would support legalization. The president also could get the gears of policy change turning by pressuring the DEA to begin the descheduling process and put into motion a needed change. If the president does not act, he will be failing veterans, people of color and other vulnerable populations. While Obama plays politics and takes the safe position on cannabis legalization, Americans facing life-and-death situations must continue waiting for a drug that has never killed a single human being and could save thousands. Editor’s note: Below are photos from the die-in at the White House. All photos courtesy of Weed for Warriors/DCMJ (via Evrybit)
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#2016 election#america#barack obama#bernie sanders#cannabis#democratic party#dnc#evrybit#gop#hillary clinton#peace#president#ptsd#racism#reform#republican party#surveillance#td-original#veteran#washington d.c.