A VOICE FOR VETS

One Veteran's Goal to Inform PTSD Sufferers About the Effectiveness of Medical Marijuana

By Abby Meaux Conques

“I didn’t see myself as being disabled, I saw my situation as having obstacles.” This is what (medically retired) U.S. Marine veteran, Elizabeth Damron, told me about her passionate pursuit of plant medicine and cannabinoid therapy.

In 2014, Damron was forced to medically retire from the U.S. Marine Corps for Post-traumatic stress disorder. At that time, she was prescribed 18-20 pharmaceuticals a day by doctors.

“My physical body was dying because of the meds. It was a shell of an existence; I did rounds of therapy...I needed a radical life change,” she explained.

WHAT LED HER TO MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Damron is a product of a military family. She had aspirations of keeping the family military legacy alive by keeping fit and eating right in high school. “I didn’t smoke marijuana in high school; I knew I wanted to join the military and smoking would hinder those chances, but I always respected the plant,” she explained.

It wasn’t until post medical military retirement that she gave it a try after it was suggested to her. “At that time I had been on so many meds...Effexor, Lexipro, the list is long,” she said. Damron explained that the medicines she was prescribed never gave her a sense of contentment, much less euphoria. She mentioned she barely felt anything, really. Damron has a degree in psychology and is educated on various disorders and subsequent medications to treat them. “I knew I couldn’t live a fulfilled life on those prescribed meds,” she said.

After Damron tried cannabis, she noticed evidence of the plant working in ways in which other modalities never did for her. “I was an occasional user and would notice being elevated to a place where I was able to begin weaning off of medications,” she explained.

As a mother of two, she recalls being prescribed heavyduty pharmaceuticals while pregnant as she did not want to consume cannabis during pregnancy or breastfeeding since there is a lack of study. “I remember thinking how unhealthy that made me feel. Those drugs were class C medications,” she said. Class C drugs are approved by the FDA for use while pregnant, even though animal reproduction studies show adverse effects to fetuses. Since there are no well-controlled studies of Class C medications in humans, the FDA deems these drugs having potential benefits despite potential risks.

“I went right back to plant medicine after I was finished breastfeeding, and was able to get to a point where I was officially pharmaceutical-free 3 ½ years from retirement,” she mentioned. Today, she gives credit to healthy eating and cannabis use as her method of continued wellness. Her condition qualifies her for four different medical marijuana programs in four different states.

ADVOCATING FOR OTHERS

Damron now has the intention of continuing the pursuit of a PhD (contingent on the current COVID-19 situation) in neuropsychology at Tulane University in New Orleans where her goal is to prove that cannabis can be an effective treatment for PTSD. She intends to be an active advocate for veterans in particular. In her research so far, she’s found that there are six particular strains best suited for treating mental health. They are strains that have been around for a notably long time, and where THC content plays a major part in the combination to aid mental health, specifically.

Her research has also taken her to the VA with a focus on traumatic brain injury and PTSD studies in particular. She was appalled at the published handouts being given to veterans regarding medical cannabis with blatant misinformation. She is currently working on information to be made in the form of an easily-read flyer for veterans so that they can make an educated decision regarding using medical cannabis as a means of treatment for mental and physical health. “They need to be informed on what cannabis is and isn’t; they need to know the synergistic effects of CBD and THC in the body,” she explained. “I want them to be cognizant of what they’re saying ‘no’ to when they decide against it,” she continued.

She’s also focusing her efforts on educating community members and working at the state legislative level on marijuana reform. She currently holds the position of President of SMPL (Sensible Marijuana Policy for Louisiana), “an organization dedicated to statewide coalition building, sound policy research, education and advocacy for substantive marijuana law reform in Louisiana,” according to their website.

Obviously, with the current situation regarding COVID-19, efforts have been hampered with the lack of legislative sessions, but Damron is optimistic that changes are in the state’s future with passionate people like her always looking for ways to reorganize in order to attain a specific goal.

ELIZABETH DAMRON, SMPL PRESIDENT, (SECOND FROM RIGHT)

ELIZABETH DAMRON (SECOND FROM LEFT STANDING) WITH PRO CANNABIS MEDIA AND OTHERS