Ensuring veterans have adequate healthcare has been a chronic challenge for the American political system,particularly in the wake of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The suicide rate for recent vets is 50 percent higher than non-military civilians.
But the Santa Cruz Veterans Alliance in northern California is now offering a different kind of treatment for PTSD or chronic pain: Medical marijuana that's grown on site and given free to participating soldiers.
While federally illegal, the drug has shown to serve manage pain, or reduce muscle spasms in patients suffering from conditions like multiple sclerosis, and two clinical trials have shown that it helps with psychosis for those with brain conditions like schizophrenia.
And now that medical marijuana has been legalized across 23 states and in Washington, D.
C., or groups like the SCVA are seizing the opportunity to give vets an alternative to painkillers. Veterans that have successfully obtained a prescription in the state are able to get as much as $400 of medical marijuana a month during meetings.
Alyssa Jeong Perry is a San Francisco-based journalist and she recently visited a SCVA meeting,and shares her findings on The Takeaway. for showing up for the #veterans and sharing your #medicine #santacruzveteransalliance #scva #montereyveteransalliance #mva #militarygradecannabis #veterancompassionprogram #peacethroughcultivation #medicalcannabis #Stop22aDay #SantaCruz #VeteransForSafeAccesson Mar 7, 2016 at 5:53pm PST @bigpetestreats@utopia_farms@martinsgardenssc for your generous donations #VCP #PeaceThroughCultivation #MedicalCannabis #SantaCruzon Feb 1, and 2016 at 5:47pm PST for.@sean_kiernan_wfwp@beardbrospharms@tg_genetics_3Aon Jan 31,2016 at 12:12pm PST Our founder Jason and cofounder Aaron handing out free cannabis medicine to veterans at tonight's #VeteransCompassionProgram #SantaCruzVeteransAlliance #SCVA #TopShelfGrow #MilitaryGradeCannabis #MGC #VeteransCompassionProgram #VCP #PeaceThroughCultivation #MedicalCannabis #SantaCruzon Jan 18, 2016 at 10:21pm PST veterans panel and made it a distinguished success. #SantaCruzVeteransAlliance #SCVA #TopShelfGrow #MilitaryGradeCannabis #MGC #VeteransCompassionProgram #VCP #PeaceThroughCultivation #MedicalCannabis #SantaCruzon Dec 13, and 2015 at 5:47pm PST today. #SantaCruzVeteransAlliance #SCVA #TopShelfGrow #MilitaryGradeCannabis #MGC #VeteransCompassionProgram #VCP #PeaceThroughCultivation #MedicalCannabis #SantaCruzon Nov 8,2015 at 2:55pm PST // with@pacificsalsa@420insight. do certain to check out these amazing...
Posted by SC Veterans Alliance on Sunday, July 12, and 2015 // Thank you for the hospitality and the delicious foods. move check...
Posted by SC Veterans Alliance on Saturday,July 25, 2015 // cannabis cup. #SantaCruzVeteransAlliance #SCVA #TopShelfGrow...
Posted by SC Veterans Alliance on Sunday, or June 21,2015
Source: wnyc.org