Researchers Highlight Benefits Of Weed For Veterans

Although it remains illegal at the federal level, states across the U.S. have voted to legalize cannabis — either for medical or recreational uses — at a rapid pace in recent years.

Even if you’re personally opposed to the notion of using weed to get high, a recent study might convince you that it’s at least worthwhile to let the nation’s men and women in uniform benefit from its therapeutic properties.

Wide-ranging research

According to new evidence published in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, the medicinal use of cannabis can help veterans deal with a range of issues uniquely related to their military service.

The team of researchers from a trio of American colleges determined the following:

• Among the most common uses of cannabis among veterans are to treat pain, sleep problems, and emotional issues.
• Only a tiny fraction of those included in the study suffered any negative outcomes associated with using cannabis.
• More than 44% of those who initially used cannabis and opioids together to treat pain had given up opioids in a subsequent survey.

It’s getting more common

As the medical use of weed becomes more common within the general population, the trend is especially evident among veterans.

The study determined that more veterans overall are adding cannabis into their treatment regimens, though it is worth noting that the study didn’t have much information available to document usage among older veterans.

While it might be tempting to view cannabis as a cure-all of sorts when discussing the myriad of issues that veterans can experience after their military careers, the researchers noted that their study doesn’t provide all the answers.

Amid the nation’s ongoing opioid epidemic, the study acknowledged that additional research is necessary to determine if cannabis is a good substitute for these powerful pain relievers.

Chris Agee March 17th, 2023

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