How veterans and frontline workers say Cannabis is tackling PTSD and depression
Medical cannabis helped manage nightmares, says member.
During Steve Gloade's 27-year career with the RCMP, he never thought his retirement would include using cannabis to recover.
Gloade is among the veteran ambassadors at CannaConnect, a company that advertises how it uses cannabis to address conditions like depression, arthritis, chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans and frontline workers.
It provides consultation and support to people on one side of CannaConnect — including from veteran ambassadors — and cannabis products in another, separate area.
"Being a police officer, we can tell you the street value of cannabis and we can tell you how much time you might get or fine you might get," Gloade said, laughing. "But I would never have remotely gathered the health benefits to it, for me, in my journey."
He said he wasn't comfortable walking into a recreational cannabis store and asking for help — but he did it once he felt he had no other options. Demand for medical marijuana among Canada's veterans has surged since a 2008 court decision required the government to provide reasonable access to the drug when authorized by a health-care practitioner.
Gloade said he used to be afraid of going to sleep, but now looks forward to it.
"I don't think they magically went away, but the cannabis does something to suppress the nightmares," he said.
The customer base has become a community, according to Gloade, but they also get veterans who aren't customers, they are just looking for a safe place.
Last year, the federal government reimbursed a record number of veterans for medical marijuana.
The continued demand prompted fresh calls for more research into the medical benefits of cannabis, which some experts and advocates say remains lacking. Health Canada and the College of Family Physicians of Canada have also warned about the potential negative impact of cannabis use by people suffering from mental health conditions, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder.
It has also raised concerns about veterans using marijuana to avoid dealing with their psychological trauma, and the need for more support for counselling and peer support.
Support network
Zachary Walsh, one of the top researchers into how cannabis can be used to treat PTSD, said he's heard multiple stories of RCMP and veterans using it to treat their condition.
Walsh, who is is a professor in the University of British Columbia's Department of Psychology and is also with the B.C. Centre on Substance Use, said research hasn't reached as far as scientists may have hoped, but that the consensus is that cannabis helps allay symptoms, but doesn't cure them.
"For a lot of people who are very desperate in their search for a good night's sleep — for some relief from their PTSD symptoms — having something that can control the symptoms, even if it doesn't get rid of the underlying condition, is a big help," he said.
CannaConnect is headquartered in Toronto and operates across Canada, with both a wellness centre and cannabis clinic in Regina and a cannabis clinic in Saskatoon.
Dennis Patterson, who is among the members in Regina, finds solace in speaking to people with shared experiences.
"There was no help around for veterans or people struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. It was a real uphill battle for me because I didn't know anybody," he said.
"I really needed some guidance and I wasn't finding it."
Patterson said the wellness centre approaches the issues in a more human way than traditional medicine.
Both he and Gloade say the centre is a no-judgment zone where staff won't ask about whether people are suffering from a condition.
"If you're here, you're supposed to be here," Patterson said.
