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MILITARY VETERAN OBJECTS TO CORBETT'S STANCE AGAINST MEDICAL MARIJUANA .

I am writing in response to Gov.  Corbett's slight change in stance regarding medical marijuana.  Although this is great news for the movement, it is sadly missing the mark of what we truly want.  I am speaking as veteran with several mental/mood disorders and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis ( MS ) this past Christmas.

As someone who has offered my life to my state and country, I do feel entitled to therapy of my choosing.  If the Veterans Administration is going to dish out pills which make soldiers, facing a rough time already, think thoughts even more depressing and suicidal than without the drugs, how is this safe?

The veteran suicide rate is alarming at an on average 22 reported suicides by veterans per day.  This number is disgusting to me.  In March of 2014 there were zero combat related casualties.

If our government wants to say "What would this look like to our children? What type of message would that send?," my response is, "What type of message does it send by not helping sick people?

I understand Cannabis may not be the "cure all." But when FDA-approved drugs don't work, or stop working because of human tolerance, what's next?

Pennsylvnia must take a progressive stance on this issue to help the hundreds of thousands of patients, like myself, that Corbett is dismissing.  How can he say "These diseases are worse than those, so with these I'll allow help, but with those, no way." I didn't realize that we had Dr.  Tom Corbett, M.D.  as our dual-role Governor/physician.  We need some compassion from Harrisburg and we need it now!

Joseph Mirt, Pittsburgh