22 A Day

At last report, 22 veterans a day are committing suicide due to depression and other post-traumatic stress. Today, DCMJ and the Weed For Warriors Project threw a Smoke-In and Die-In at Lafayette Square in front of the White House. “Easier access does not equal EQUAL access” said WFW’s Brandon Wyatt, an Iraq War veteran and attorney who uses cannabis to heal his PTSD.

"22 A Day" Cannabis Protest for Vets, White House from Mike Flugennock on Vimeo.

Just a reminder: While in high school in Hawaii, Barack Obama belonged to a “posse” nicknamed the “Choom Gang” — “choom” being Hawaiian slang for smoking weed. From all accounts, Obama was the most hardcore stoner of the bunch.

Dana Beal: Original Yippie. Original 1967 Smoke-In organizer. Cannabis activist. Legend. He spoke today about the history of Smoke-Ins, and why they’re a good thing, and why they work. “Keith Stroup is wrong”, he declared.

The die-in lasted 22 minutes — one minute for every veteran who will commit suicide every day. Veterans make up 7% of the population, but account for 20% of suicides.