The Veterans Alliance for Holistic Alternatives (VAHA) is asking for your help to legalize medical cannabis in North Carolina for those in need. We’re looking for veterans, spouses of veterans, and/or family members of veterans who have witnessed and/or personally experienced the medical efficacy of cannabis.
667,000 veterans in North Carolina according to the most recent American Community Survey in 2019
1/3 of the veteran community suffers from Multiple Chronic Conditions (MCC)
The veteran suicide rate in North Carolina is 2.4 times higher than the national average
In the last 20 years of conflict, we have lost just over 7,000 service members in combat.
In that same period of time, we have lost over 120,000 veterans to suicide.
North Carolina loses 9 residents a day to opioid and drug overdoses.
In North Carolina, a veteran commits suicide every 1.5 days
Veterans and others plead with NC lawmakers to legalize medical marijuana
VAHA’s Executive Director Gary Hess was invited to be a member of the National Cannabis Roundtable.
VAHA teamed up with Dr. Sue Sisley of SRI to file legislation against the United Stated Attorney General and Drug Enforcement Agency to remove cannabis as a Schedule 1 narcotic.
North Carolina Veterans Unite for Medical Cannabis Debate VAHA-NC to amplify voices, work for passage of SB711
Raleigh, NC – The Veterans Alliance for Holistic Alternatives of North Carolina (VAHA-NC) is calling on members of the Republican Caucus of the North Carolina House of Representatives to vote in favor of moving the North Carolina Compassionate Care Act to consideration by the full body.
Below you will find a rundown of some of VAHA-NC’s key supporters and advocates. These are men and women who gave themselves to the service of our country willingly. They entered the military knowing and accepting there would be injury and possibly death. They risked themselves for their nation and the free world and believed that–should they survive–their government would honor their sacrifices by taking good care of them. Instead, they were fed addictive pills and medicines with side-effects that eventually gave rise to new conditions and did nothing to heal the old ones. Through luck and grace, they found their ways to medical cannabis.
Understanding the necessity and urgency of VAHA’s mission. The long-term pharmaceutical-based treatments for physical and mental health conditions continue to have severe negative impacts. This strategy is largely responsible for the decline in overall health, increased substance abuse, and an ever-increasing suicide rate among our communities. The time for change is now.
Proven Medical Efficacy – Over 30,000 peer-reviewed studies on Plant Medicine
The positive anecdotal response of the veteran and patient community cannot be ignored any longer
Safe Access – Allows patients to access medicine safely from a regulated medical dispensary instead of the black market
Not a Gateway Drug, It is an exit drug – In medically legal states opioid prescriptions have been reduced by over 30% in the first year.
Mental Health Needs – Proven as an adjunct therapy to facilitate recovery and post-traumatic growth
Plant Medicine brings balance to our essential functions – Eating, Sleeping, Digestion, Arousal, Memory and Emotion
Opiate-sparing Properties – Plant Medicine is proving to be an exit drug for those who become addicted to the pharmaceuticals prescribed by their own physicians
Qualifying conditions are cancer, epilepsy, positive status for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Crohn’s disease, sickle cell anemia, Parkinson’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, multiple sclerosis, cachexia or wasting syndrome, severe or persistent nausea in a person who is not pregnant that is related to end of life or hospice care, or who is bedridden or homebound because of a condition, a terminal illness when the patient’s remaining life expectancy is less than six months, and any other serious medical condition or its treatment added by the Medical Cannabis Advisory Board.
This will be required in North Carolina’s Compassionate Care Act, SB711, which makes access for those in need incredibly safe. Unlike what North Carolinians are being forced to buy off of the street, A Certificate of Analysis (CoA) is a document provided by a third-party lab that analyses the various compounds found in your plant medicine. You can also find other information in a COA such as manufacturer information, testing method used, and batch data.
In 36 other states veterans are voting with their feet and turning to ‘Plant Medicine’. Medical programs have proven safe when well-regulated and frees veterans to consult with their own physician about their own health outcomes.
There has been no lethal dose found for medicine. Plant Medicine actually has no effect on our breathing modulation, unlike opioids, which makes it impossible to overdose, yet our medical professionals are still prescribing the same medications these men and women are taking their life with.