How Cannabis Helps Veterans Cope With PTSD and Civilian Life

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Too many of our military heroes are living in states that have yet to regulate cannabis or haven’t added PTSD to their medical marijuana programs as a qualifying condition.  Too frequently, veterans suffering with Post Traumatic Stress and other wounds of war are prescribed a cocktail of dangerous opiates and anxiety medicines, which can often exacerbate symptoms or otherwise cause more harm than good.

In states that do allow medical use of cannabis, veterans who disclose to their VA doctors can be subjected to restrictions limiting access to other medication and treatment. Active duty military personnel who test positive for THC risk their jobs or required to enter addiction counseling. Some have lost their VA benefits altogether, despite recent changes in policy relaxing rules about medical marijuana in states where it is regulated legally.

Either way, neither veterans nor active duty military personnel should have to compromise their dignity or risk their careers and VA benefits to get the medicine they need. They have sacrificed so much for our freedom. It’s up to us to push for policy change that gives them the freedom to choose whatever medicine helps them find healing.

That is the topic of today’s show and it was an honor to speak with a veteran who is all too familiar with the challenges of PTSD.

Korey Rowe is an Army veteran who served with the 101st Airborne Division 187th Infantry Regiment in both the Afghanistan and Iraq Invasions. The Rakkasans were the invading force for both Middle Eastern Theater Wars where Korey and his unit were the tip of the spear, twice. He lived in the Middle East for most of 2002 – 2004 but now currently lives in Los Angles where he is a filmmaker who specializes in all forms of communication. As owner of Prism Pictures, LLC. Korey produces, directs, shoots and edits videos ranging from Narratives, shorts, advertisements, and YouTube Series. He has also made several features with the most recent inspired by the death of a former battle buddy, Jesse Snider, who lost his struggle with PTSD when he took his own life in March of 2014 after a brutal struggle with PTSD and subsequent run-ins with the law.  In a quest to find answers and raise awareness, he embarked on a 8000-mile road trip throughout the United States to chronicle the tragic story of Jesse through the lens of friends from their unit  — all Rakkasans, who share their emotional stories. Over the course of five weeks, he documents the plight of veterans who share the same struggles of PTSD and how, like Korey, they found healing through cannabis therapy. His film, which aims to educate audiences with emotionally charged veteran testimonial, explores why policy change at the federal level is a matter of life and death for some veterans.

If not for the generosity of our supporters, we wouldn’t be here! We’d first like to express gratitude for our radio sponsors Alpine Miracle, Healthtera and Compassionate Certification Centers. We’d also like to shout out to our producer, Ed, our engineers and the team at Star Worldwide Networks, Erik Godal, the composer of our theme “Evergreen,” Dr. Bryan Doner for the Medical Marijuana Minute and XRQK Radio Network, Society Bytes Radio and Be Real Management for helping us spread the word. We are grateful!