Veterans want to expand marijuana access to curb opioid crisis
As the state’s opioid epidemic claims the lives of veterans at three times the rate of other Massachusetts residents,
some former members of the armed services are turning to marijuana as
an alternative to addictive painkillers — only to find the drug isn’t
easily available for them.
Anecdotal evidence has suggested marijuana, also known as cannabis, can ease conditions common to veterans and help them fight opioid addiction. But because the drug remains illegal in the eyes of the federal government, there are few studies to support its use, and the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs does not offer it as a treatment.
Undeterred, individual veterans and organizations have taken it upon themselves to improve access to the drug for a population they are confident would benefit from it.
“Almost every single veteran that comes through our doors is coming to get off prescription drugs,” said Chapman Dickerson, an Army veteran and CEO of Bask, a medical dispensary based in Fairhaven.
The interest in medical marijuana among veterans was born out of widely circulated stories of success among former members of the armed services who have found the drug helps treat conditions such as chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression. A 2017 poll by the American Legion showed one in every five veterans used marijuana to alleviate a medical or physical condition.
Dickerson got hooked on prescription medication while working as a commercial fisherman after he served from 1997 to 2001. He says marijuana helped him break the addiction.
“I used to pop pills like crazy. It’s how I got through the day,” he said. “Cannabis has changed my life. It makes me want to do more good things and it makes me want to do less bad things, and everyone should give it a try before they go to pharmaceuticals.”
Despite the anecdotal success, however, evidence-based research into the drug and how it could help treat common afflictions among veterans is scant. The federal government considers marijuana a Schedule 1 drug – the classification for cocaine, heroin and LSD – making research highly restricted.
And despite its growing popularity across the country, not everyone is convinced promoting marijuana use is a good idea. A study conducted in Europe and published last month in The Lancet Psychiatry, a medical journal, found the daily use of marijuana, especially high doses of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, increases the odds of developing a psychotic disorder, giving traction to a long-standing concern about the drug.
“Given the increasing availability of high-potency cannabis,
this has important implications for public health,” researchers said in
the study.
Both medical and recreational marijuana are legal under Massachusetts law, but because the federal government still considers it illegal, the drug is often out of reach for veterans who rely on services and benefits provided through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which has issued a stern warning about its use.
“Several states in the U.S. have approved the use of marijuana for medical and/or recreational use. Veterans should know that federal law classifies marijuana as a Schedule One Controlled Substance. This makes it illegal in the eyes of the federal government,” according to the VA. “The [department] is required to follow all federal laws including those regarding marijuana.”
The VA does not deny veterans benefits because of marijuana use, but clinicians cannot recommend or prescribe any medication that hasn’t been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Last year, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said that because it has not been approved by the FDA, “there really is no such thing as medical marijuana.”
Meanwhile, VA-provided insurance does not cover the cost of medical marijuana, but will pay for prescribed opioids, meaning veterans – despite personal preference – might choose opioids over marijuana because of the cost. Marijuana flower, which is typically smoked, ranges from $15 for a gram to $325 for an ounce at most dispensaries. Five pre-rolled joints at NETA Brookline cost $75, according to its website. Sales in the illicit market are slightly less, ranging from $10 per gram to $250 to $300 for an ounce, according to the self-reporting website www.priceofweed.com.
“Veterans have to dip into money (for medical marijuana) that they wouldn’t have to worry about with prescriptions,” said Stephen Mandile, chairman of Alternative Treatment for Veterans. “It really comes down to access and affordability.”
Mandile, an Iraq War veteran, tried 57 different medications, including nine opioids, and attempted suicide before he switched to marijuana and was able to stop taking most other medications in 2015. In December, he stopped using drugs other than marijuana.
“My doctor says I’m her first patient in 20 years to get off all those drugs,” he said.
Mandile has since dedicated his time to helping other veterans learn about the healing potential in marijuana, and helped create a program at nine medical marijuana dispensaries where fully disabled veterans get a 40 percent discount.
The participating businesses include Bask in Fairhaven, Revolutionary Clinics in Somerville and Cambridge, ACS in Bridgewater, Temescal Wellness in Framingham, Pittsfield and Hudson, Garden Remedies in Newton and Melrose and The Botanist in Worcester.
Mandile spends his time lobbying policymakers and advocating for more research into marijuana. He recently teamed up with Cannabis Community Care and Research Network, or C3RN, Joint Venture & Co. and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth to conduct an anonymous nationwide survey of veterans to try to better understand treatment patterns, medications, current use of marijuana and other health-related issues.
Initial results, presented at a conference in Holyoke on Thursday, showed 67 percent of respondents said they used marijuana to reduce over-the-counter or prescription medication use, according to the survey.
The goal is to use the research to further dispel the stigma and lack of education surrounding marijauana. The group will continue to collect survey responses throughout the year, and more results will be released later this year.
“The opioid epidemic is a crisis that we can work toward addressing,” said Marion McNabb, CEO of C3RN.
The researchers have partnered with marijuana-related
businesses across the state, including AmeriCann, a marijuana greenhouse
and warehouse company developing more than 1 million square feet of
space for cultivators to grow in Freetown. Tim Keogh, CEO of AmeriCann,
said supporting the research made sense because the lack of fact-based
information surrounding marijuana is one of the biggest issues facing
the industry.
“Veterans are dying of suicide and overdose. We can have a real impact on stemming the tide and improving their quality of life without having to jeopardize their lives with prescription medication,” Keogh said.
Anecdotal evidence has suggested marijuana, also known as cannabis, can ease conditions common to veterans and help them fight opioid addiction. But because the drug remains illegal in the eyes of the federal government, there are few studies to support its use, and the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs does not offer it as a treatment.
Undeterred, individual veterans and organizations have taken it upon themselves to improve access to the drug for a population they are confident would benefit from it.
“Almost every single veteran that comes through our doors is coming to get off prescription drugs,” said Chapman Dickerson, an Army veteran and CEO of Bask, a medical dispensary based in Fairhaven.
The interest in medical marijuana among veterans was born out of widely circulated stories of success among former members of the armed services who have found the drug helps treat conditions such as chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression. A 2017 poll by the American Legion showed one in every five veterans used marijuana to alleviate a medical or physical condition.
Dickerson got hooked on prescription medication while working as a commercial fisherman after he served from 1997 to 2001. He says marijuana helped him break the addiction.
“I used to pop pills like crazy. It’s how I got through the day,” he said. “Cannabis has changed my life. It makes me want to do more good things and it makes me want to do less bad things, and everyone should give it a try before they go to pharmaceuticals.”
Despite the anecdotal success, however, evidence-based research into the drug and how it could help treat common afflictions among veterans is scant. The federal government considers marijuana a Schedule 1 drug – the classification for cocaine, heroin and LSD – making research highly restricted.
And despite its growing popularity across the country, not everyone is convinced promoting marijuana use is a good idea. A study conducted in Europe and published last month in The Lancet Psychiatry, a medical journal, found the daily use of marijuana, especially high doses of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, increases the odds of developing a psychotic disorder, giving traction to a long-standing concern about the drug.
Both medical and recreational marijuana are legal under Massachusetts law, but because the federal government still considers it illegal, the drug is often out of reach for veterans who rely on services and benefits provided through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which has issued a stern warning about its use.
“Several states in the U.S. have approved the use of marijuana for medical and/or recreational use. Veterans should know that federal law classifies marijuana as a Schedule One Controlled Substance. This makes it illegal in the eyes of the federal government,” according to the VA. “The [department] is required to follow all federal laws including those regarding marijuana.”
The VA does not deny veterans benefits because of marijuana use, but clinicians cannot recommend or prescribe any medication that hasn’t been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Last year, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said that because it has not been approved by the FDA, “there really is no such thing as medical marijuana.”
Meanwhile, VA-provided insurance does not cover the cost of medical marijuana, but will pay for prescribed opioids, meaning veterans – despite personal preference – might choose opioids over marijuana because of the cost. Marijuana flower, which is typically smoked, ranges from $15 for a gram to $325 for an ounce at most dispensaries. Five pre-rolled joints at NETA Brookline cost $75, according to its website. Sales in the illicit market are slightly less, ranging from $10 per gram to $250 to $300 for an ounce, according to the self-reporting website www.priceofweed.com.
“Veterans have to dip into money (for medical marijuana) that they wouldn’t have to worry about with prescriptions,” said Stephen Mandile, chairman of Alternative Treatment for Veterans. “It really comes down to access and affordability.”
Mandile, an Iraq War veteran, tried 57 different medications, including nine opioids, and attempted suicide before he switched to marijuana and was able to stop taking most other medications in 2015. In December, he stopped using drugs other than marijuana.
Mandile has since dedicated his time to helping other veterans learn about the healing potential in marijuana, and helped create a program at nine medical marijuana dispensaries where fully disabled veterans get a 40 percent discount.
The participating businesses include Bask in Fairhaven, Revolutionary Clinics in Somerville and Cambridge, ACS in Bridgewater, Temescal Wellness in Framingham, Pittsfield and Hudson, Garden Remedies in Newton and Melrose and The Botanist in Worcester.
Mandile spends his time lobbying policymakers and advocating for more research into marijuana. He recently teamed up with Cannabis Community Care and Research Network, or C3RN, Joint Venture & Co. and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth to conduct an anonymous nationwide survey of veterans to try to better understand treatment patterns, medications, current use of marijuana and other health-related issues.
Initial results, presented at a conference in Holyoke on Thursday, showed 67 percent of respondents said they used marijuana to reduce over-the-counter or prescription medication use, according to the survey.
The goal is to use the research to further dispel the stigma and lack of education surrounding marijauana. The group will continue to collect survey responses throughout the year, and more results will be released later this year.
“The opioid epidemic is a crisis that we can work toward addressing,” said Marion McNabb, CEO of C3RN.
“Veterans are dying of suicide and overdose. We can have a real impact on stemming the tide and improving their quality of life without having to jeopardize their lives with prescription medication,” Keogh said.
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