HomeMy WebLinkAbout042423 Resolution on Entheogens________________________________
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Dear County Commissioners,
I am a 39-year-old resident of Jefferson County and a disabled Army combat veteran in recovery. I am writing to urge you to adopt the Resolution on Entheogens, to substantially promote
the health and welfare of our community and greatly troubled society.
I have been on a long and arduous journey of recovery since my combat tour in Afghanistan 16 years ago, having had a 100% service-connected VA Disability Rating for PTSD and Traumatic
Brain Injury. Because of the utter failure of the institutionalized medical systems to provide the care I actually needed, I slid deeper and deeper into a mental health crisis until
it completely destroyed my life and my beloved nuclear family that meant everything to me. I was then further deeply traumatized by the so-called "justice" system, one of the majority
of people in jail for underlying mental health issues, spending months on end waiting for my "day in court" and no less than a total of five months in solitary confinement, for weeks
at a time, simply because I was suicidal.
There are simply no words that could ever convey to you the extent of the devastation, loss, pain, suffering, dysfunction, and difficulty I experienced over the years, trying to recover
without the help of entheogens and close-knit community. The healing and growth I've experienced with that help is just as indescribable.
My fellow veterans and I, those of us who did not come home alive, and military and veteran families have sacrificed dearly to further the Great Cause of protecting and promoting the
inalienable human rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The private use of entheogens by competent adults is not just the exercise of those fundamental rights; entheogens
overwhelmingly help to salvage and save lives, promote the psychological healing and perspective needed for us to exercise our liberty more wisely, and teach us how to live together
in peace and harmony for the sake of the happiness of us all.
Legalization of regulated use is not enough to alleviate the violation of our fundamental rights, and is insufficient to promote safe access and supported use of entheogens on a scale
necessary to adequately help ensure humanity overcomes the immense existential challenges we face. To survive we must heal and evolve on a scale we have never before dared -- we must
proactively heal our personal and inter-generational trauma, overcome our fears with vision and courage, awaken fully to the truth of our profound inter-connectedness and an unconditional
heartfelt care for one another, and foster the wisdom and creativity we need to succeed at radically transforming our civilization in the ways it must.
These sacred plant medicines are our teachers and allies in doing so, and frankly we need all the help we can get in order to prevent catastrophe and bring about the beautiful future
we desire for our children and the many generations of Us to come.
Thank you.
Sincerely in Service,
Matthew Jomei