With Veterans Day fast approaching we wanted to take this opportunity to reflect back on how thankful we are for those who’ve served for us. As a very small token of our appreciation, we’re offering 25% off for all Veterans this Veterans Day. Additionally, we chatted with one of our own Veteran patients, Dan, to learn more about his service and how he uses cannabis for relief. 

Hi Dan! Mind telling us about your experience as a Veteran?

My experience as a Veteran has been mostly positive. I wear U.S. Navy Veteran clothing often and many people have shown their appreciation with their kind words and actions. I never thought that four years of anything would have influenced my life the way that the Navy has. Nor did I know how many brothers and sisters have served their country. I find it comforting. 

When did you start using cannabis?

About three years ago. I had been using opiates for over thirty years and suddenly it became a problem. I couldn’t get the dosage that I needed even with records showing exactly what I was taking. Cannabis doesn’t remove my pain but it does relax me enough to allow my body to heal.

What’s your preferred consumption method? 

My preferred method of consumption is edibles. I can get 4-6 hours of relief which I support with smoking flower as needed. I was introduced to a butter/oil infuser and now make my own oil which is quite potent and easily used. 

What do you wish more people knew about the medical benefits of cannabis? 

I wish that more people understood the medical benefits of Cannabis. The ability to control my own dosage is one thing that really helps me. I don’t have to convince a doctor that my pain is bad enough to need treatment before I can get help. I think that education is the key to understanding and understanding is the key to acceptance. 

Do you feel like there’s still stigma around cannabis in the Veteran community, or is it becoming more accepted?

I don’t know about acceptance within the Veteran community as a whole. I am seeing more Veterans using cannabis medically. In some cases it’s the only viable option for the treatment of pain that they can use. It seems as if pain has suddenly become illegal. I have thirty years of documented treatment but it was discontinued with the opiate crisis. Many Veterans are facing the same problem.

We hear stories like Dan’s on almost a daily basis. Below we’ve outlined resources for Veterans interested in learning more about the medicinal benefits of cannabis consumption. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more, please consider sending this to them.

Veterans Cannabis Project: This organization is dedicated to improving U.S. military veterans’ quality of life through the opportunity of cannabis. They believe medical cannabis saves lives and that veterans deserve full, legal access.

Weed for Warriors: A social justice lifestyle brand supporting holistic rehabilitation for veterans through community-based projects, proactive care advocacy, cannabis education and compassion WFWP urges change for the empowerment of the people.

Veterans Cannabis Group: An advocacy group of Veterans for Veterans who use medical cannabis. They provide education, safe access, information on VA resources and benefits, and an opportunity for veterans to work with other veterans within the cannabis industry.

Highlighting injustice and discrimination is crucial. It serves as a reminder that we have so far still to go, it stirs movement, change, and action that we desperately need. But when we only focus on the negative, things can begin to feel hopeless. 

We wanted to take this opportunity to highlight some of the success stories that Last Prisoner Project has achieved, with the help of its supporters and donors. A friendly reminder to never stop fighting for cannabis justice, and that positive change is being made. Below are three stories of people who’ve been released and are participating in Last Prisoner Project’s Reentry Program.

EVELYN LACHAPELLE

Evelyn grew up in Oakland, CA  after graduating from high school in 2003 she moved to Los Angeles for college.  She completed the courses required to receive a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship from Loyola Marymount University. In 2009 she gave birth to a daughter and in 2012 decided to move back to Oakland to be closer to friends and family. In 2013 she was convicted on three charges related to her minor role in a marijuana distribution operation. She was sentenced to 87 months in prison. She had no prior record and in fact had no indicators that she was a repeat offender.

On February 1, 2019 she was released from federal custody and began her 4 year probation sentence. She immediately found employment in a prominent hotel as a sales and catering coordinator. She had held this position prior to being taken into custody and was very grateful to return to the work she enjoyed.  After a co-worker searched her name and found her convictions she was fired. Since then , Evelyn has  become the owner and operator of Fresh Out Car Wash, her own mobile car detailing business. She is dedicated to offering jobs to people who have recently been incarcerated. She understands what it’s like to serve your time and still come home to an environment that would deny you employment because of your past.

She has experienced the War on Drugs personally, her family has now experienced it, and her daughter was left without her mother because of it. The Second Chance Act has failed her and she has made it her goal to create a real second chance for men and women being released from prison. Evelyn is an LPP board member and one of the first participants in our reentry program.

NATALIA WADE

In 2013 Natalia Wade was convicted of conspiracy to distribute marijuana in North Carolina although she had never left her home state of California. Her only involvement in this conspiracy was depositing profits from cannabis sales into her bank account. From our “justice system” she received a sentence of 87 months in federal prison and four years probation as a first-time, nonviolent offender.

Natalia is now released and living in Northern California, but while incarcerated she was diagnosed with Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis. She suffered immensely under the failing healthcare system of the prisons. Natalia is still struggling to recover from the negligence of prison healthcare and the trauma of being incarcerated in the conditions of our prison system. Natalie is currently participating in LPP’s reentry program.

STEPHANIE SHEPARD

In 2011 Stephanie Shepard was convicted of conspiracy to distribute marijuana in New York. Beyond selling just 4 ounces of cannabis, her only involvement in distribution was simply acting as caretaker to a man who had sold marijuana and was struggling with a life threatening illness.

For her kindness, she was rewarded by our “justice system” with a sentence of 120 months in federal prison and five years probation as a first-time, nonviolent offender. Stephanie is now released and living in Northern California, but while incarcerated her beloved father passed away. Stephanie will never recover the time she lost or the moments with her family that were cruelly taken from her by the federal government. Stephanie is now participating in LPP’s reentry program.

If you’d like to learn more, we’d recommend watching this webinar that features the stories of these three strong and resilient women. The fight isn’t over yet, but with each release we get one step closer to cannabis equality and racial justice.