“We’re not doing enough as a country”- should medical cannabis be funded for veterans?

David Moczulski, of Tier One CBD, is calling for on the Government to fund medical cannabis or CBD for veterans living with chronic pain, anxiety and conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

David Moczulski, who founded Tier One CBD earlier this year, is advocating for veterans to have access to Government-funded medical cannabis and CBD, to help them manage a range of physical and mental health conditions.

He is calling for better support networks to be put in place for veterans, which starts with education and an understanding that military service can have a severe mental health impact major, anxiety and combat post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD).

“We are not doing enough as a country to support the human beings that are being asked to do awful things on behalf of the safety of this country,” he said.

“These people sign up at a young age, get thrashed and see things. They experience things they don’t want to see or do.”

David continued: “We are talking about people who have shot people and killed them. We are sending these big tough paratroopers to Kabul who may not have seen combat in traditional terms, but they saw heart-wrenching situations such as pulling kids out of crowds or suicide bombers. They will reflect on this when they get home and find they can’t switch things like that off.”

Veteran mental health

David highlighted that there has been a number of veteran suicides due to conditions such as CPTSD and anxiety. This has a wider effect on the families.

“It’s not just them, but the family and the children left behind too. It carries on for the rest of their lives and if medical cannabis can be successful for a percentage of them, then that is a great thing. It’s something we should be doing for people that we send to do these things for us.”

Studies on treatment for veterans with alternative methods such as medical cannabis, ketamine and psilocybin have had success in the US. However, the UK has yet to adopt such methods. Tier One CBD is one of the only companies offering not just CBD but nootropics and adaptogenic herb supplements, aimed at veterans.

One of the biggest problems with access is the cost of getting a medical cannabis prescription or accessing good quality CBD. This is what has fuelled David into advocating for veterans to receive funding.

“The majority of people may not be lucky enough to be able to afford to down that route,” he said.

“We all know the state of finances in the UK today, in that everyone is struggling. The chances of anyone using spare cash to get medical cannabis and then pay for a prescription is slim.”

He added: “This is why I’m going to call on the Government to step up and look at what they are doing, it’s great but it’s not enough. Let’s listen to the successes, it’s that simple. Not every veteran needs medical cannabis, I didn’t. What CBD did for me was a massive change and there are almost three million veterans out there that should be able to try it. It might change something.”

Veterans and chronic pain

David experienced chronic pain from his injuries during his time in the military. And when he was forced to leave due to injury, this contributed to him developing more mental health issues.

“I had six documented chronic pain injuries when I left the military and they have never gone away,” he said.

“When my disability was raised, it confirmed to me that I was finished. That was how I was mentally referring to myself. I didn’t want to leave or have these injuries as I saw myself as a lifer in the military. I loved it – it wasn’t just a job.”

Read more about David’s story here

David feels the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has taken a “lazy” approach to educating serving personnel about alternative therapies such as CBD.

“The MOD senior managers and military senior managers have adopted a very lazy stance, as it’s down to the individual to police themselves. That’s fine up to a certain point but it’s an autocratic system where we take orders and do as our superiors say. When you are worried about taking CBD or medical cannabis, then you are on your own,” he said.

“There is so much anxiety. They are leaving their wife and kids but don’t know when they are coming back.”

Last month David joined a panel discussion at Cannabis Europa to discuss the effects that opening up medical cannabis or CBD access for veterans could have.

He says it has given him a chance to reassess his approach to pushing for access.

“It made me re-energised about the direction I took early on,” he said, of his participation in the event.

“I’ve decided to have a broader look at it and start lobbying in a much more professional way to get dialogue open for funded medical cannabis and CBD for veterans.”