Friends and supporters, thank you for your continued support of SB17-17, which adds PTSD to the list of medical conditions for medical marijuana.

The bill passed the Senate 34-1 and is now exactly half way through the process. We need your help to finish strong as the legislation faces increasing resistance from the traditional medical community. The bill’s next step is to be heard in the House State Affairs Committee on Wednesday, March 8th.

WE NEED YOUR HELP! It’s been nearly a month since the bill moved through the process and the momentum has quieted. Our opposition, largely psychiatry and the pharmaceutical industry, has been ever at work. We need to light up the phone lines and inboxes of the committee members to show the broad based support from the community on this change.

In advocating for a bill there is a recipe to catching legislators’ attention:
· The story of self – how this bill relates to you.
· The story of us – how this bill relates to your community.
· The story of now- what do we want you to do now? We want you to support SB 17-17.

Ideally you would not want to go more than a paragraph for each to hold their attention but say what you feel is right. Tracking your experience with others and combining with a clear ask of what you would like is a very effective way to communicate with elected officials on proposed legislation. It helps to be polite and to acknowledge and thank them for their service.

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House State Affairs Committee Capitol Contact Information
Adrienne Benavidez adrienne.benavidez.house@state.co.us 303-866-2964
Mike Foote mike.foote.house@state.co.us 303-866-2920
Edie Hooton edie.hooton.house@state.co.us 303-866-2915
Stephen Humphrey rephumphrey48@yahoo.com 303-866-2943
Timothy Leonard tim.leonard.house@state.co.us 303-866-2582
Susan Lontine susan.lontine.house@state.co.us 303-866-2966
Jovan Melton jovan.melton.house@state.co.us 303-866-2919
Mike Weissman mike.weissman.house@state.co.us 303-866-2942
Dave Williams dave.williams.house@state.co.us 303-866-5525
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DRAFT email/phone talking points for consideration:

Dear Senator X,

I am writing today to ask your support of SB17-17, which adds Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress Disorder to the list of qualifying conditions for treatment of medical marijuana. The bill is currently scheduled to be heard in your committee, House State Affairs, on Wednesday, March 8th.

This legislation comes to you from the Interim Committee on Cost-benefit Analysis of Legalized Marijuana in Colorado. The bill adds post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and acute stress disorders to the list of debilitating medical conditions approved for using medical marijuana. This legislation will:
* Allow individuals suffering from PTSD to have an honest conversation with their treating physician about how use of medical marijuana fits in a comprehensive treatment plan.
* Allow PTSD sufferers, many who live on military disability benefits and other fixes sources of income, to pay substantially less for medical marijuana than other marijuana available in the retail market place.
* Allow veterans with PTSD to participate in a state-authorized medical marijuana program as required by the Veterans Administration.
* Provide for access to medical marijuana strains that are not available in the retail market place.

Its time Colorado honor its Veterans and give them access to medical marijuana to treat the conditions they develop as a result of their service to our country. It’s time to add PTSD and acute stress disorders to the list of approved-conditions.

Please support SB17-17 to add Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress Disorder to the list of qualifying conditions for treatment of medical marijuana in House State Affairs.

Thank you for your consideration,
Sincerely,
X

Additional Background:
Medical marijuana provides a safer alternative for many patients. Existing treatments for PTSD, primarily pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy, have limitations and do not necessarily result in effective treatment. Some patients experience high potential for addiction to opioids and other prescription drugs.

Colorado is the only state that has denied a request to add PTSD to its list of conditions approved conditions for use of medical marijuana. The Colorado Board of Health, within the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment has not added a single medical condition in the 16 years since Colorado voters amended the state constitution to approve the medical use of marijuana. In the Board’s decision to deny the petition to add PTSD, they took the position that the petition must be accompanied by studies of the same quality that the FDA uses to approve new pharmaceutical drugs, which are not currently available because the Drug Enforcement Agency continues to classify marijuana as a Schedule 1 substance. This standard flies in the face of the many observational and clinical studies that show therapeutic benefit for the treatment of PTSD and the many states across the country that have chosen to allow it as a covered condition.

Addressing potential risks:
While it is important to recognize that medical marijuana treatment is not without some risk, those risks should be placed in proper perspective by comparing them to the risks associated with the use of prescription drugs and prescription drug abuse. There are only two FDA-approved drugs for treating PTSD. A number of other prescription drugs are commonly prescribed for off-label use, highlighting not all treatments are not all subject to the same rigorous process of review and approval that medical marijuana is held. All of the pharmaceutical drugs commonly prescribed to treat PTSD have significant side effects.

And while you’re at it, please donate to Cannabis Patients Alliance so we can continue this important work.

Thank you for your support,
Teri Robnett
Founder / Executive Director
Cannabis Patients Alliance

Categories: ACTION!, Advocacy, Colorado, Doctors, Family & Relationships, Patients, Pharma, Policy & Politics, Veterans, Women

Tags: medical marijuana, medicinal cannabis, post-traumatic stress disorder, ptsd, veterans, veterans administration