The popularity of cannabis amongst veterans has undoubtedly risen within recent years. Between potential pain-relieving and stress-reducing effects, veterans have reported experiencing a variety of benefits from weed. In fact, multiple states now approve the use of medical marijuana for PTSD and other related conditions such as anxiety, chronic pain, and insomnia. Other states that don’t allow it continue to see advocacy from veterans and allies for the legalization and accessibility of cannabis.
But even in states where cannabis is available for veterans, other barriers come into play such as accessibility and affordability. Though veterans receive medical assistance from Veterans Affairs (VA), they are unable to receive assistance for medical marijuana. This leaves many veterans in legal states still unable to access the medical benefits of the plant. But, organizations like LA NORML work to remove this barrier by providing free cannabis for veterans in California. With all of this support and uproar, cannabis continues to rise in popularity amongst veterans and laws continue to move forward in support of it.
Though there is not much research when it comes to cannabis as a treatment for PTSD, many veterans have self-reported their use of marijuana for medical conditions. The Journal of Psychopharmacology reports the rise in cannabis use amongst those with PTSD versus those without.
Medical Cannabis Combating PTSD
“Among 24,089 eligible respondents, 420 (1.7 percent) reported a current clinical diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. In total, 106 (28.2 percent) people with post-traumatic stress disorder reported past-year cannabis use, compared to 11.2 percent of those without post-traumatic stress disorder.”
And of those 420 cannabis consumers with PTSD, 41% classified this use as medical. This number is double what is reported by adults in the general population.
Additionally, a survey by the American Legion revealed that 92% of veterans support research into medical cannabis. Also, 83% of veterans support legalizing medical marijuana. This is a much higher rate than the general population.
Moreover, many veterans report using medical cannabis in replacement of prescription drugs or alcohol. This is often seen used for chronic pain and mood disorders such as PTSD. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse reported their findings on the benefits of cannabis use in veterans.
“[Older] veterans reported positive effects of cannabis use for their pain, sleep quality, health conditions, and QOL. … Veterans in our study were more likely to use cannabis [as compared to non-veterans] for mental health conditions. … [T]he results make sense in that Veterans report mental health conditions such as PTSD, anxiety, depression, and insomnia at higher rates than the general population. … Our study results suggest older Veterans may be turning to cannabis as a way to cope with mental health conditions such as PTSD, insomnia, depression, and anxiety.”
Cannabis Products for Veterans
One product doesn’t fit all when it comes to cannabis for veterans. Between the form of the plant to the potency, terpenes, and more, the effects of cannabis can vary between strains and modes of consumption.
Here at Valley Pure, we offer a variety of cannabis products in almost all forms to give you a large selection to choose from, no matter what your needs may be. We encourage you to chat with our knowledgeable budtenders, in-person or through the phone, about what products may benefit you best. Continue reading to get an idea of what products we may recommend that could potentially help common conditions in veterans such as PTSD and chronic pain.
We offer a 10% discount to all veterans daily, as we are strong supporters of our military family.
Tinctures
If you aren’t looking to put anything into your lungs, cannabis tinctures can be a great option. This liquid form of THC comes from extracting cannabinoids and terpenes using a solvent such as alcohol. This results in a potent oil with a similar consistency to olive oil. Because it is more liquid than sappy like regular cannabis concentrates, it proves to be easier to consume and dose.
Tinctures traditionally come in a dropper bottle, making it easy to dose and to experiment with different amounts. You may find at different doses, different effects take place. This can be a great option for veterans looking to try cannabis for the first time, as it is arguably the least intimidating route and easiest to control when dosing.
For those that may be weary on high contents of THC, ratio tinctures may be a better option. At Valley Pure we offer a variety of cannabis tinctures, including ratio products such as Care By Design’s 8:1 Tincture and our own 1:1 Tincture. Conversely, we offer various full THC tinctures including Autumn Brands’ 1000mg Tincture and our own 500mg THC Tincture.
Flower
For those looking for a more traditional route, you can’t go wrong with cannabis flower. Similar to tinctures, this proves to also be a more controllable route when it comes to dosing.
At Valley Pure, we offer hundreds of options and dozens of brands when it comes to flower. Between 8ths, pre-rolls, single grams, and bulk sizes, we make it easy to try a variety. And we encourage just that, especially for veterans. Everybody is different, so it would be of the most benefit to try various strains to see which specific ones help to relieve certain symptoms the most.
Stop by the store or give us a call and we can certainly help point you in the right direction depending on your specific needs and wants.
Concentrates
If your symptoms have proven resistant to most treatments, you may want to consider trying concentrates. As you may have guessed by the name, this form of cannabis is the most concentrated and most potent form of the plant. Also known as oil, this type of marijuana comes in various forms such as rosin, badder, shatter, crumble, diamonds, and more.
At Valley Pure, we offer hundreds of concentrate products. If you’re looking to relieve physical pain, you may want to consider one of our many indica offerings such as STIIIZY’s Pink Acai Live Rosin. Conversely, if you’re trying to clear any stress away, a hybrid option such as Buddie’s Blue Banana Dabs may be right for you.
