Red, White, Blue and Green? Can cannabis help heal combat trauma?
Memorial Day is one of those American holidays we all claim to love. It’s more meaningful to some than others. Tragically, there are likely young people who don’t totally understand what it is. Ask your 12 year old nephew and it’s 50/50 he will know know what Memorial Day is and what it commemorates. Originally known as “decoration day” it was established in post Civil War, reconstruction America. It was intended to be a salve on the open, infected wound left lingering in the ashes of the Battered Antebellum South. It is a day to remember the fallen, those who served and died in an effort to preserve American life. It’s nice, but it would be better if we did a better job of caring for vets so the death rate didn’t continue to climb after the combat service.
How We Should Thank Veterans Versus How We Do
Military service is a huge range, it’s not all combat but for those who do see combat, the long reaching and long lasting impact is profound. It’s not that easy to train a human to kill another human but when we do, we have altered the course of the human experience. Images of that experience get scratched right in and that’s a tough one to shake. Job fairs from Home Depot and appointments at the VA don’t seem to support combat vets at a level that is needed. According to the Veterans administration, the average number of suicides per day is 17.3 (VA). That number is likely pretty accurate but arguably, suicide goes under reported. One could argue some are on a “suicide installment plan” a slower demise into the abyss of mental illness and being too difficult for families to care for them. Whatever the number, it’s far too high. If America is to assume the role of endless combat going on somewhere, we need a far better plan than what we have now. We can all posture about thanking vets for their service, letting them board the plane first or offering discounts at the movies but what are we actually doing to improve the number of suicides?
There might be a simple thing that could help, not solve, but help the situation. The culture of the military is one that freely supports the use of alcohol, it’s dangerous and helps no mental health condition. “Drink more” is never sound advice for anything much less a vet enduring trauma and mental health issues. The trickery of alcohol is that it feels great, for a minute. Pouring alcohol on depression is like scratching a mosquito bite, relieving but the worst thing for it. So where does that leave them? It leaves them flapping in the wind like a forgotten American flag. If the find their way to the VA, the complexity of that system and the wait times for care are unacceptable. Essentially, the current system leaves vets with a bottle of booze, a bottle of pills, and a gun. All of that is in total compliance with law and VA policy but it’s a combustible combo that contributes to the 17 vest a die who die by suicide. There must be a better way.
Can Cannabis be a Viable Treatment Option for Veterans?
Cannabis is a far, far better option. It can help the physical and emotional pain, aid in sleep and provide insulation from the insatiable demands of returning to civilian life. Is it a magical solution? It is by no means any such thing. Can it help? It can. By any metric, cannabis is safer than pharmaceutical and alcohol. So why not let vets have it? In legal states, they can but not from the VA. At present, no VA doctor can even discuss the option with a patient. So a vet has to find their way to a provider who can discuss cannabis with them. Hardly insurmountable but using cannabis is costly on a fixed military pension or a disability check. Here’s the really nutty part, the VA won’t pay for it. So where does this leave them? With a bottle of booze, a bottle of pills, and a gun often alone and not sleeping. Do we really wonder why there are so many of these incidents? We shouldn’t. We should take Memorial Day as an opportunity to remember the fallen but also to care for those who are still here. Red, white, blue, and green would be a more compassionate way with which to deal with many things suffered by American vets. We shouldn’t be steered by lies that have been told to a culture who has now villainized a better option.
How we treat our vets says a lot about our country, not just on Memorial Day but everyday.