SOUTHBRIDGE, MASS. – This Veterans Day, Green Meadows, a vertically-integrated, Massachusetts-based cannabis company especially focused on veterans, hopes to bring awareness to systemic challenges that are creating barriers to veterans getting access to safe, natural remedies as veteran opioid abuse, overdoses, and suicides are at all-time highs. Founded by the Patton family, Green Meadows is committed to veteran causes, including the continued scientific study of the potential benefits of cannabis in treating PTSD and other conditions of urgent importance to improving the quality of care for our veterans.
Veterans face unique challenges, from re-entry post combat, pain, and PTSD, to the over-prescription of opioids, subsequent addiction, and the devastating cycle of physical, mental, and emotional pain that is perpetuated as a result. Yet, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) continues to rely heavily on addictive prescriptions. Unfortunately, it’s not just medicinal access that is harmed by the federal government’s stance on cannabis, but education too. Through veterans’ education, support events, and informal conversations, Green Meadows has sought to understand the unintended consequences of some of these historic laws and policies, and how we as a community can help bring these issues to the forefront.
Bob Patton, Co-founder and Chairman of the Board for Green Meadows, who led the family’s charge in launching and establishing a legal cannabis business in Massachusetts, explained that the education about how cannabis can support PTSD, anxiety, insomnia, pain, and a variety of other ailments currently happening at the dispensary level through the budtenders. “We can’t write a prescription for somebody, but we can help drive conversations and education to help empower veterans to feel comfortable with coming to a dispensary to see if it is the right option for them,” he said.
Danny Harper, Director of Wholesale for Curaleaf Massachusetts explains that “The United States Department of Veterans Affairs hasn’t changed; it’s all about prescriptions and more prescriptions. I’ve lost friends to suicide and drug overdoses because sometimes the VA gives you too much medicine, or they don’t give any at all and these people go to the streets to look for something else.” He added, “Moving towards cannabis allowed me to be me again. Microdosing helps me, and other veterans, have a chance to be functioning members of our society. Medical cannabis saved me.”
David Adams, Southbridge Town Councilor and President of the Southbridge Veterans Council adds that the divided politics in Washington have sidelined many hopes that federal legalization could begin to give veterans across the country the access to medicinal cannabis that could safely and effectively improve their quality of life. This Veterans Day, he invites everyone to reach out to their state representatives and senators to encourage the VA to be more proactive in addressing the needs of veterans, as the Food and Drug Administration plays a critical role in helping veterans gain access to medical cannabis.
“Unless the Food and Drug Administration authorizes medical cannabis, then VA doctors are not going to be allowed to prescribe it. Doctors understandably don’t want to lose their licenses,” he explained. Adams reinforced that this needs to be a grassroots effort with local community organizing and outreach to legislators to start to move the needle on behalf of veterans.
“In order to fulfill this mission effectively, we must be connected to the issues that veterans are facing right now,” said Rob Patton, Chief Marketing Officer at Green Meadows. “It is time to get the trauma and pain veterans experience out of the shadows so we can start talking about real solutions that start to break destructive cycles and better support our nation’s heroes.”
History of Service: Community Organization as a Catalyst for Change Founded with the mission to support the veteran community through hiring, training, philanthropy, education, and medicinal support for common ailments, the company hosts a number of veterans events throughout the year, creating opportunities for veterans to access a wide array of important services, including health, dental, and substance abuse care, as well as employment, legal, and housing services.
Green Meadows donated more than $30,000 to veterans causes in 2021, including $20,000 to the Southbridge Veterans Council. Additionally, currently 15% of its almost 80 employees are veterans – more than double its commitment to the city. Green Meadows also has the most competitive veteran discounts in Massachusetts for medical cannabis, where qualified veterans will now enjoy a 30% discount every day and a 40% discount twice a month, every month on the 11th and 22nd. The 11th of each month is meant to align with Veterans Day in November and serves to celebrate Veterans Day every month, while the 22nd of each month relates to a widely circulated statistic from Veteran Administration that 22 veterans commit suicide each day.
Green Meadows also owns General’s Aide, which was created to provide consumers with quality cannabis products that are made responsibly and support the veteran community, with 2% of all purchases donated to veterans-focused charities, including such organizations as Operation Troop Support and Stop Soldier Suicide.
Contact your U.S. senators here, find your state representative(s) here and find your Massachusetts legislators here to let your voice be heard. For more information on the benefits of medical cannabis and promotions for veterans, be sure to follow Green Meadows website http://www.greenmeadows.com, Facebook, and Instagram pages.
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About Green MeadowsGreen Meadows is a vertically integrated cannabis company based in Southbridge, Massachusetts, committed to providing its customers and medical patients with the highest quality cannabis products through both curation and cultivation. Green Meadows’ organic cannabis is grown in its 35,000-square-foot cannabis production facility that sits in the same restored 19th-century mill building as its dispensary. The facility has been designed to deploy organic and environmentally responsible methods, which include a patent-pending fertigation system to maximize purity and efficiency, an integrated pest management program that exceeds Clean Green Certification standards, as well as new processes for fertilizer use, propagation, and soil blending. Founded by the Patton family, Green Meadows is committed to veteran and diversity employment, as well as the continued scientific study of the potential benefits of cannabis in treating PTSD and other conditions of urgent importance to improving the quality of care for our veterans. For more information, visit: https://greenmeadows.com/
