Help Fund a Study on the Effects of Cannabis on Soldiers with PTSD
While America’s forever wars show little signs of abating, what about the growing number of veterans?
While America’s forever wars show little signs of abating, what about the growing number of veterans? What do we owe veterans for their service when they return from the battlefield? Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from wartime duties includes the gamut of symptoms from extreme sleep issues to suicide. Many veterans suffering from the disorder turn to opioids, risking addiction. What is to be done?
The father of Western History, Herodotus, documented the first case of PTSD during the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC. The Athenian spear carrier Epizelus was struck with what would now be diagnosed as psychogenic mutism while standing next to a soldier that had been killed. Two millennia later, we know so much more about the invisible wounds of war, but still not nearly enough. The United States is no stranger to sanguinary episodes, but the length of these particular wars and the reintegration of the soldiers back into society raises questions heretofore unanswered by our nation.
It is a matter of emotional and mental health. Former US Senator, former Administrator of Veterans Affairs Max Cleland called the growing crisis of PTSD among our returning veterans the forever war of the mind. In an influential 2009 New York Times Op Ed Cleland wrote:
“There are estimates that 35 percent of the soldiers who fought in Iraq will suffer post-traumatic stress disorder. I’m sure the numbers for Afghanistan are similar. Researchers have found that nearly half of those returning with the disorder have suicidal thoughts. Suicide among active-duty soldiers is on pace to hit a record total this year. More than 1.7 million soldiers have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Imagine that some 600,000 of them will have crippling memories, trapped in a vivid and horrible past from which they can’t seem to escape.”
Hospitals alone will not solve this growing societal problem or they would have already. What could help alleviate PTSD as veterans re-integrate into civilian life? To answer that question, the Helmand Valley Growers Company, a cannabis company that donates all of its profits to cannabis medical research for veterans, is partnering with The Battle Brothers Foundation to launch an Observational Study Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Medical Cannabis in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Management. “Every day, 22 veterans are dying due to effects of post-traumatic stress from opioid addiction to depression,” said Bryan Buckley, Founder and President of the Board for Battle Brothers Foundation.
Does cannabis help veterans deal with PTSD specifically? That is the question the California-based Battle Brothers Foundation is seeking to answer with the help of donations. The study will take place in partnership with medical data and research company NiaMedic, Califormia-based nonprofit. “Our CEO and co/founder Bryan Buckley met Alon Blatt at a cannabis symposium at UCLA back in 2017,” said Andy Miears, a 12-year US Marine Corps veteran and a founder of The Battle Brothers Foundation. “Since then we’ve been working together on our study design and (Independent Review Board).” Miears has been deployed in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Miears, who credits cannabis with his re-entry into civilian life, has talked to many veterans about the pluses and minuses of cannabis in dealing with PTSD. “One of the things that sticks with me when talking to a vet who is using cannabis to help alleviate signs and symptoms of PTS is when they look you right in the eyes and say ‘I finally got some rest.’ For me that’s everything, living life in a hyper vigilant state can be exhausting, mentally and physically.”
And what of HVGC – named after Helmand Valley in Afghanistan -- cannabis? The names of HVGC strains are pretty colorful, reflecting the founders’ time fighting in Operation Enduring Freedom. Afghanimal, Purple Trainwreck, and ATF, or Alaskan Thunder Fuck, particularly stand out. “All of our cultivars were picked for their terpene and cannabinoid profiles except ATF,” Miears told me. “That specific cultivar was picked by our followers on Instagram. We asked the cannabis community to let us know what our next strain should be and ATF was the winner. Afghanimal is a cross between Afghani and Animal cookie cultivars. That’s how the name was derived and since we’re named after the Helmand valley in Afghanistan, it kind of fit right in. We also chose it because through our observations and communication with other vets we got a lot of feedback on how the afghani cultivar was helping those suffering from PTS to get some sleep. Purple Trainwreck was picked for its use back in the Prop. 215 medical cannabis days. It’s a cross with Granddaddy purple and we got a lot of great feedback from other vets using it medicinally.”
The Battle Brothers Foundation has raised $50,000 out of $500,000 for the first run of veterans. You can donate here to help bring us closer to a solution to PTSD from the Forever Wars.