VET BLUES

Bill Lueders hit another homer in the Jan. 7 Isthmus with his story about
the mayor's vacillating stance on drug testing ("Dave caves on pot
promise"). I was also moved by the article about returning Iraq War
veterans and the health problems this misguided war has bestowed on them.

During the Vietnam War, cannabis was rediscovered as a treatment for
post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. California medical cannabis
physician Dr. Tod Mikuriya has written how cannabis had been known for over
a century in the medical profession as a PTSD treatment, but forgotten
because of its legal status since marijuana prohibition began in 1937.
Recently, the Israeli army disclosed that it is evaluating cannabis in the
treatment of PTSD.

The drug war affects all of us, from city employees unjustly terminated for
testing positive for cannabis to our own veterans. What makes it worse is
that those who should know better, like Mayor Cieslewicz, lack the courage
to stand up and do what is right.

Gary Storck