--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Here, we have a country that is making…" description: "\"Here, we have a country that is making its veterans, people who are struggling with post-traumatic stress, people who are struggling with depression, w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe9/cory-booker-2546_country_here-we-have-a-country-that-is-making-it_1856434.jpg" --- # Here, we have a country that is making its veterans… ![“Here, we have a country that is making its veterans, people who are struggling with post-traumatic stress, people who are struggling with depression, who often they're only hope is their access to marijuana to treat these illnesses, and here we are criminalizing them for doing what's necessary to…” quote by Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe9/cory-booker-2546_country_here-we-have-a-country-that-is-making-it_1856434.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe9/cory-booker-2546_country_here-we-have-a-country-that-is-making-it_1856434.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe9/cory-booker-2546_country_here-we-have-a-country-that-is-making-it_1856434.jpg) > “Here, we have a country that is making its veterans, people who are struggling with post-traumatic stress, people who are struggling with depression, who often they're only hope is their access to marijuana to treat these illnesses, and here we are criminalizing them for doing what's necessary to stabilize their lives as a result of their service. This is not who we are as a country. We are better than this.” [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Criminalizing medical marijuana for veterans with PTSD or depression contradicts national values and neglects their service. **In simple terms:** Punishing veterans for using medical cannabis is against our principles. Key Takeaway Advocate policy change to protect veterans’ health. Themes justice healthcare veteran rights policy reform Mood urgent determined Type advocacy political When to use this quote - legislative lobbying - public awareness campaigns - veteran support groups - healthcare provider training Key Concepts medical cannabis post‑traumatic stress disorder depression civil rights Questions to Reflect On - What evidence can persuade policymakers? - How can society balance safety with compassionate care? A Different Perspective Opposition may claim insufficient research on cannabis efficacy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Criminalizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminalizing-709758/) [Illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illness/) [Illnesses Criminalizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illnesses-criminalizing-2470518/) [Marijuana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marijuana/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Stress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stress/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Veteran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/veteran/) [Veterans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/veterans/) [Veterans People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/veterans-people-1832756/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [I'm a veteran, and I come from a family of veterans and people who served in that war. And the stories that I heard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ayer/i-m-a-veteran-and-i-come-from-a-family-of-veterans-and-people-who/) [David Ayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ayer/) > [I'm just one example of thousands of transgender veterans and people who are actively serving today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allyson-robinson/i-m-just-one-example-of-thousands-of-transgender-veterans-and-people/) [Allyson Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allyson-robinson/) > [“It struck me that such analyses had it backward. It’s the American public for whom the Iraq War is often no more real than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-wright/it-struck-me-that-such-analyses-had-it-backward-it-s-the-american/) [Evan Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-wright/) > [This country would be a better place to live in if all the resources we currently put toward criminalizing marijuana were instead spent by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-johnson/this-country-would-be-a-better-place-to-live-in-if-all-the-resources/) [Gary Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-johnson/) > [A lot of times people think veterans or people with PTSD can't function, like we're these ticking time bombs and you can't trust them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-gallego/a-lot-of-times-people-think-veterans-or-people-with-ptsd-can-t/) [Ruben Gallego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-gallego/) > [People don't realize how many of the homeless are single moms, and a lot of veterans, and people with mental illness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-maddon/people-don-t-realize-how-many-of-the-homeless-are-single-moms-and-a/) [Joe Maddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-maddon/) > [School is now a place where punishment and discipline are prioritized over serving students and educating them. 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I don't think you should do that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-sabet/the-issue-is-you-do-not-have-to-go-to-either-criminalizing-and/) [Kevin Sabet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-sabet/) > [“If a young person is surviving by trading sex for the thing they need, what useful purpose is served by criminalizing that activity? Doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-califia/if-a-young-person-is-surviving-by-trading-sex-for-the-thing-they-need/) [Pat Califia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-califia/) > [You do not have to go to either criminalizing and throwing people in prison. I don't think you should do that for people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-sabet/you-do-not-have-to-go-to-either-criminalizing-and-throwing-people-in/) [Kevin Sabet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-sabet/) > [Our current prison state has the dual effect of getting rid of a superfluous population of basically unskilled workers (with a close race-class correlation),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/our-current-prison-state-has-the-dual-effect-of-getting-rid-of-a/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I have made a career out of arguing that we shouldn't be criminalizing political differences. I've made a career out of arguing that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-have-made-a-career-out-of-arguing-that-we-shouldn-t-be/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [There will be no veterans of World War III.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-f-mondale/there-will-be-no-veterans-of-world-war-iii/) [Walter F. Mondale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-f-mondale/) ## More by Cory Booker > [We've got to get back to a country that can get things done. And my whole career has been marching and charging at and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/we-ve-got-to-get-back-to-a-country-that-can-get-things-done-and-my/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [If you want the things people don't have, you have to do the things other people will not do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/if-you-want-the-things-people-don-t-have-you-have-to-do-the-things/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [“Deterrents properly placed can help. But that is not enough. We are one society, and as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/deterrents-properly-placed-can-help-but-that-is-not-enough-we-are-one/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [Speaking as somebody who voted against TPA and has a lot of suspicions about Trans Pacific Partnership that are reflected in our concerns about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/speaking-as-somebody-who-voted-against-tpa-and-has-a-lot-of/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [ I love talking about the challenges \[Newark, NJ\] has because of the way they are always brilliantly disguised as opportunities.. .the biggest global challenge… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/i-love-talking-about-the-challenges-newark-nj-has-because-of-the-way/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [If Donald Trump governs the way he campaigned, it'll be a disastrous presidency. This is a chance for him to be magnanimous, humble. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/if-donald-trump-governs-the-way-he-campaigned-it-ll-be-a-disastrous/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [To me, feminism is believing in women's equality, and I ardently ascribe to that belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/to-me-feminism-is-believing-in-women-s-equality-and-i-ardently/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [I live in Brick Towers, a public housing project in Newark's Central Ward. I moved in when the projects were privately owned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/i-live-in-brick-towers-a-public-housing-project-in-newark-s-central/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [“I celebrate ideals of individual excellence, self-reliance, and personal responsibility… But rugged individualism alone did not get us to the moon. It did not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/i-celebrate-ideals-of-individual-excellence-self-reliance-and/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [The history in our country speaks to our highest values of people who did not accept things as they are and go along with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/the-history-in-our-country-speaks-to-our-highest-values-of-people-who/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [My dad set a clear model for me for what manhood was all about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/my-dad-set-a-clear-model-for-me-for-what-manhood-was-all-about/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [Can you every single day tell a true testimony of who you are? That's really what life is about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/can-you-every-single-day-tell-a-true-testimony-of-who-you-are-that-s/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [2016 is an election like I've never seen before. And I think it reflects the fact that many people have a dissatisfaction with politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/2016-is-an-election-like-i-ve-never-seen-before-and-i-think-it/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [I do not believe that marijuana is a gateway drug, and having been a mayor trying to keep my community safe, if there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/i-do-not-believe-that-marijuana-is-a-gateway-drug-and-having-been-a/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) > [Any Democrat running is trying to get that Barack Obama coalition, which is an increasingly diverse voter base. It's young folks. It's minorities, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-booker/any-democrat-running-is-trying-to-get-that-barack-obama-coalition/) [Cory Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) [Explore all 161 Cory Booker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-booker/) ## More Country quotes > [I love playing for my country, getting the support. Especially for the kids and everybody, showing my example of what I can achieve so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-love-playing-for-my-country-getting-the-support-especially-for-the/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [For the Scottish government, the practice of having meetings in different parts of the country is well established, but for the U.K. government, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/for-the-scottish-government-the-practice-of-having-meetings-in/) [Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/) > [There's no reason someone who has fought for their country should be homeless of jobless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kyle/there-s-no-reason-someone-who-has-fought-for-their-country-should-be/) [Chris Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kyle/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [It's very nice to be a rebel saying, 'I stand on my principles,' but if in fact that's not going to have any impact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-grieve/it-s-very-nice-to-be-a-rebel-saying-i-stand-on-my-principles-but-if/) [Dominic Grieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-grieve/) > [Most paper money initially existed as a substitute for gold. That's what gave it value. But right now what gives a currency value is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/most-paper-money-initially-existed-as-a-substitute-for-gold-that-s/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [That's what this country is. 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The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [The reason I was drawn to the Band Perry was because they have a knack for doing rollicking country music that can sound a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-robinson/the-reason-i-was-drawn-to-the-band-perry-was-because-they-have-a/) [Phoebe Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-robinson/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > ['Lovecraft Country' is reclaiming all these pulp genres for people of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-green/lovecraft-country-is-reclaiming-all-these-pulp-genres-for-people-of/) [Misha Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-green/) > [No judge can stop us from praying for our country and I pray that on May 6, millions of Americans will join me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-graham/no-judge-can-stop-us-from-praying-for-our-country-and-i-pray-that-on/) [Franklin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-graham/) [Browse all 29,881 Country quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Here, we have a country that is making its veterans, people who are struggling with post-traumatic stress, people who are struggling with depression, who often they're only hope is their access to marijuana to treat these illnesses, and here we are criminalizing them for doing what's necessary to stabilize their lives as a result of their service. 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