DEA Chief on Medical Cannabis use by Navy vet: “that’s between him and his doctor”
June 20th, 2012Posted by Mike Liszewski
During today’s Drug Enforcement Administration Oversight Hearing, Representative Steve Cohen (D – TN) asked DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart whether or not it would be permissible for a Navy veteran to use medical cannabis to help with severe weight loss. The head of DEA responded by saying, “I think that’s between him and his doctor”. (begins at 0:50:30)
Americans for Safe Access absolutely agrees with the candid statement by DEA Administrator Leonhart. Unfortunately, for the Navy veteran that Rep. Cohen brought up, until Leonhart and the Obama Administration stop raiding compliant dispensaries, that veteran may be forced to obtain medical cannabis through unsafe and unreliable means. Worst still for the Navy vet, currently Veterans Administration policy forbids VA doctors from discussing or filling out paperwork associated with state-approved medical cannabis programs. On behalf our ASA’s members, I urge DEA Administrator Leonhart, please do not back down from your stated position, in fact taking a stronger stand for safe access has been demonstrated to not the least bit politically dangerous.
Please contact the DEA (202.307.1000) to thank Administrator Leonhart for to encourage her to follow through with her statement by ending the raids on medical cannabis dispensaries in compliance with state law.
UPDATE (5:21pm, EDT): Out of curiosity, I poked around to see what Leonhart has said in the past about medical cannabis, and here is what she had to say during her Senate confirmation. No word yet on the “social cost” of thwarting safe access to medical cannabis for American veteran-patients such as the one Rep. Cohen described.
June 20th, 2012 at 10:12 am
Isn’t that all we want? To have the right to take the advice of our physicians is what medical cannabis is all about, but the DEA continues (until now) to reject the possibility that cannabis may have a medicinal value. It does, and now we know that the DEA really knows the truth about it! IT’S TIME FOR A CHANGE IN ATTITUDE AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL!
June 21st, 2012 at 8:12 am
this is a big change from her position in her senate confirmation hearing. are we going to see any of the federal raids against MMJ dispensaries and/or threatening letters to city officials and landlords of MMJ dispensaries stop? or is this just more empty words from the out of touch officials in washinton?
June 21st, 2012 at 8:15 am
May: Obama announces his view on same sex marriage has “evolved” and he is now for it.
June: he backs down on deportation of illegal immigrants without criminal records under 30.
July: he announces an “evolution” in MMJ policy and plans to hand it over to the states?
remember, all we need is a rescheduling of marijuana from Sched.1 to Sched.2 and the MMJ issue goes away for all states who’s voters have passed the legislation.
June 21st, 2012 at 9:51 pm
The DEA might admit there are medical benefits from cannabis but it will not be rescheduled. Even if the American people voted for full legalization it would not happem because of our governments adherence to the Single convention on narcotic drugs. We need our politicians to stop signing treaties the public does not support snd back out of the ones that are outdated and detrimental to our constitutional rights as Americans
June 22nd, 2012 at 1:02 pm
I agree…medical cannibis IS medicine. It works
June 27th, 2012 at 9:19 am
I can’t bring myself to thank her because I’m one of these suffering veteran’s that’s being treated like a criminal by the country I swore to protect!. You can thank her. She’s had more than enough time to make this wrong a rite and she play’s dumb!. Johnny Choronic59.