Episode 495: Combat Veteran Faced Prison For Using Medical Cannabis

• Purpose of the episode: Jeff Krajnak, a combat veteran, shares how medical cannabis helped him reduce opioid dependency and how THC metabolite laws led to criminal charges despite no impairment.
• Military service with the Navy Seabees and SEAL teams in Iraq and Afghanistan left Jeff with severe PTSD, fibromyalgia, and ankylosing spondylitis, resulting in a medical discharge in December 2013.
• Post-discharge, Jeff was consuming 11 opioid and psychiatric pills daily, drinking a bottle of vodka a day, and described himself as detached, suicidal, and hospitalized in a psych ward for eight days.
• Switching to medical cannabis — an indica strain for sleep and a CBD cream for pain — allowed Jeff to reduce from 11 pills to just one, and eventually quit opioids entirely.
• A 2017 car accident occurred when another driver ran a red light; Jeff and his son were uninjured, he cooperated with police, passed three field sobriety tests, and showed no signs of impairment.
• Despite every officer on scene testifying he was not impaired, Jeff was arrested 32 days later by a SWAT team due to THC metabolites in his blood — 4 nanograms active, 40 nanograms metabolite — exceeding Nevada's 2-nanogram legal limit.
• Charges included two felony B counts — felony DUI resulting in death and felony child neglect — carrying a potential 16–20 year prison sentence.
• Jeff accepted an Alford plea to felony reckless driving and misdemeanor DUI; the judge acknowledged he was not impaired but stated the law left her no choice.
• Probation terms banned cannabis use, forcing Jeff back onto 22 pills daily — highlighting the legal contradiction that allows high-dose opioid use while prohibiting medical cannabis.
• Nevada's 2-nanogram THC limit dates to 1999 and is based on a 1986–87 study measuring residual THC in reckless drivers' urine — not impairment — making it scientifically unsound.
• THC can remain in blood for weeks in chronic users, and up to 90 days depending on testing method and consumption type, meaning the legal limit bears no relationship to actual impairment.
• Other states apply higher or more flexible standards — California, Washington, and Colorado allow 5 nanograms with rebuttal options, and Michigan does not prosecute medical patients — contrasting sharply with Nevada's near-zero-tolerance approach.
• Jeff advocates for impairment-based DUI laws rather than residual THC thresholds, arguing that trained Drug Recognition Experts can assess actual impairment without relying on metabolite levels.
• As president of the Coalition for Patient Rights, Jeff is pushing for federal cannabis de-scheduling — arguing Schedule 3 is insufficient — and working with NORML, MPP, and other organizations to advance legislative reform.

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The views and opinions expressed by guests on Cannabis Health Radio (CHR) are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of CHR, its hosts, producers, affiliates, or sponsors. CHR is not responsible for statements or opinions expressed by its guests.

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