| Sean Azzariti. See more photos and a video below. |
Earlier this week, an effort to add post-traumatic stress disorder to the list of conditions legally treatable by medical marijuana in Colorado failed — a development Colorado cannabis advocate Brian Vicente described as “shameful.”
Veteran Sean Azzariti offered emotional testimony in favor of the bill and admits to being frustrated that the effort fell short again, just as it did in 2010 and 2012. But while he’s disappointed, he has new reasons for hope for a change in the future.
“They had me testify first, which was a little nerve-racking,” Azzariti says of his Monday appearance before the House committee on State, Military and Veterans Affairs. “I tried to stay as even-keeled as I possibly could, but when you’re testifying about something so personal to you, that you’ve been working on for years, it’s hard not to get choked up.”
Azzariti feels some committee members were open to his arguments, while others “were completely close-minded” — and the latter group won the day. The measure, known as House Bill 14-1364, was voted down by a 6-5 margin.
The result “definitely broke a lot of hearts,” Azzariti concedes, but it hasn’t dampened his enthusiasm to fight for the issue, which he embraced after PTSD followed him home after military duties overseas.
| Azzariti seen in a photo from his Facebook page during his days in the Marine Corps |
