As many combat veterans know, there’s a fairly common regiment prescribed by the VA for most combat-related injuries. This has been commonly referred to as the “combat cocktail” and consists of a combination of Benzodiazepines (colloquially referred to as “Benzos”), SSRIs, NSAIDs and more. Unfortunately, these have had many negative side effects reported by veterans and many already being in a vulnerable state, spiral further because of it. PTSD being a very common injury amongst combat-related ones, has largely been blocked from alternative treatments like cannabis and Psilocybin. That’s slowly been changing and as of late, that change has been accelerating, one could say. Research is increasingly showing support for cannabis as an effective treatment for combat-related PTSD as well as anxiety. This is evidenced by a recent University of Michigan study which is just one of the many aggregately cited by the National Commander of the American Legion at President Trump’s Rescheduling Press Conference:
The “How”
Since we now have aggregated research to show that it can be beneficial for veterans, the next logical step would be to explore how (to bring those benefits). And that part doesn’t necessarily need to be done by Universities, at least not all of it. In most states’ medical cannabis programs, there are many players involved from private business to non-profits and lots of government agencies too. The key that ties them all together is education. The agencies have a duty to uphold public safety by ensuring that supply is tested and kept away from children. Businesses provide jobs and produce the supply and non-profits ideally help both. Veterans, like many of the American public, will try cannabis for the first time over the next couple years, as research and availability continues to “accelerate” as mentioned at the beginning. They need to be educated on cannabis and while a primary healthcare provider is always recommended, it never hurts to have multiple sources of credible information too! Especially for a community like veterans who aren’t always trusting of traditional healthcare providers (many times for good reasons, sadly).
An experienced medical cannabis budtender should be able to suggest certain strains based on terpene profiles that aid or suppress the symptoms in question. What they won’t be able to do is consume that product with you! How do you know when to take it and how much of it? Does your body respond well to edibles or are you trying to avoid smoking? While everyone’s body responds differently, you can never go wrong with starting slow and pacing yourself. I always encourage experimentation when able. For example, if you’re using glass, start with one bowl per session, then two and so on. If your body doesn’t respond well to distillate-based edibles, try rosin or RSO/FECO instead. The other thing that always helps when it comes to trying something new is having a buddy.
Being a bud
Buddies can give you little nuances to look out for that you might not otherwise think of. Like for example, if you’re just trying a strain for the first time, maybe don’t buy a full ounce- get an eighth or quarter to start out. Or also, that not every batch turns out the same. Most budtenders will be honest about what’s really moving currently but you usually have to ask. Grabbing munchies on the way home from a supply run is always a must too. Got a lighter? You get it now! What can organizations learn from the effectiveness of a buddy system? We’ll explore that next.
At Frontline Bud Foundation, we’re always thinking of how we can best serve veterans through cannabis. Part of that strategizing led to us connecting back to the “battle buddy” system that the Army employs. Generally speaking, it’s not far off from what any old “buddy” means other than just being more intense! If we really want to help those from the frontlines with cannabis, we should and need to be, a “bud” to them. While our focus is on the medical benefits, it’s still a “euphoric” experience that can come with side effects too; albeit much less toxic than standard pharmaceuticals! So what does that look like exactly for a non-profit to be a “bud” to someone?
In the traditional sense, being a “bud” just means to be there for someone, to help them where you’re able. In this context, we can act as a bud to them in several ways. One is by providing them with helpful info and tips that are relevant to them as they begin exploring cannabis. Secondly, by continuing to support them as they dive deeper and gain experience with consumption. Oftentimes, with more experience, some will even opt to grow for themselves and we still offer courses and plenty of blog articles for help there. We can also build community and hold spaces for them which we’ve begun doing with partners and plan to eventually host on our own. Lastly, we can advocate for them through legislation; like going to the capitol to speak in support of bills as I did a couple weeks ago:
Final thoughts
I often say, and it’s still true, that we are a young organization. In two months, we’ll have our one-year anniversary. We hope that you’ll stick with us and continue to trust in our programming as it both expands and improves. We’re working hard to ensure that our programming for the rest of this year reflects the actions of a “bud” as just mentioned above. Please continue to give us feedback, the more we hear/know, the better. And support is always welcome too ^_^ Please click the Get Involved or Donations Tab if you’d like to help!
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