A Veteran stayed behind on our lobby couch after his evaluation and kept talking. He described the years he had spent managing pain and PTSD with whatever prescriptions came his way. Nobody had judged him in that room, he said, and he felt heard for the first time.
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Many Veterans never get a conversation like that. Most expect a negative response when cannabis comes up at the VA, and some are still afraid to mention it to their doctors. VA policy encourages doctors to discuss cannabis openly and prohibits them from recommending it. What Veterans describe ranges from being spoken to as if they were addicted to opioids to receiving genuine support. It has improved, and it has a long way to go.
The Veterans we have helped get certified, more than 1,400 so far, arrive with the same first questions about the VA and federal classification. Most are looking for relief, physical, mental, or emotional. PTSD comes up first, followed by chronic pain and sleep. Some carry a list of ten to twelve medications, and some want to avoid that path altogether. Some have never used cannabis, and others tried it a few times before they enlisted.
Where the conversation is missing, the dispensary counter fills the space.
What the Counter Is Saying
GreenState’s Sept. 11th report on a mystery-shopper study shows what Veterans may hear. Trained shoppers visited 130 licensed retailers in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Denver, Portland, and Seattle. More than 88 percent of employees suggested cannabis could help with anxiety and insomnia, health claims that Colorado, Oregon, and Washington restrict. About 12 percent said healthcare providers recommend cannabis for those conditions, and about 10 percent claimed scientific evidence supports it. Guidance on driving, pregnancy, and carrying cannabis across state lines varied from store to store.
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The study covered customers in general, in five cities outside Florida, and did not examine Veterans. Its findings still matter here. Sleep ranks near the top of what Veterans ask me for, and insomnia was among the claims shoppers heard most.
Compliance specialist Sara Gluck told GreenState that budtender training is “front-loaded at hiring and rarely reinforced.” Budtenders work with the training they were given, so the fix starts with better training and clearer lines.
Ask Budtenders What They Know Best
I am not a Veteran. I grew up surrounded by them, and they remain a big part of my life. I have also used cannabis for 35 years, and I respect the product knowledge a good budtender brings. That knowledge is what Veterans should ask for.
Gluck recommends that retailers separate product information, such as cannabinoid content, terpene profiles, and form factors, from medical, legal, and dosing claims. Veterans can draw the same line from their side of the counter.
What to Bring
Here is what I would bring to a first visit.
A written medication list. Every prescription and over-the-counter medication, as printed on the label. This can give a budtender and on-site pharmacist (dispensaries in certain states are required to have pharmacists on staff) a clear starting point. That said, it’s important to remember that budtenders are not doctors.
A plain statement of the goal. Better sleep, less pain, calmer days. Saying so helps a budtender point toward suitable products and away from guesses.
An honest experience level. Zero experience is a fine answer, and so is “a few times before I enlisted.” A good experience at the counter starts by meeting the Veteran where they currently are, and understanding what they’re trying to accomplish.
Three questions. What is the cannabinoid content? What does the terpene profile look like? How does this form differ from the others? Then ask which answers are product facts and which are personal opinion.
Slow down when anyone says providers recommend cannabis for your condition, cites scientific evidence for it, or offers tips for avoiding detection when traveling across state lines. The study heard versions of all three.
What Better Looks Like
At Veterans Cannabis Care, we built our work around a no-judgment atmosphere that supports and guides. Dispensaries can adopt the same standard, along with the ongoing training and unannounced, standardized checks Gluck recommends. GreenState’s report notes that counter conversations without ongoing oversight can expose customers and licensed retailers alike to serious risks.
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At renewal, Veterans tell me they slept for the first time in years or that their pain has dramatically decreased. They are describing their own experience, and it is why the first conversation matters.
If there is a tool that may help a Veteran, I want to find a way to put that tool in their hands. Accurate guidance at the counter is one of those tools.
*This article was submitted by an unpaid guest contributor. The opinions or statements within do not necessarily reflect those of GreenState or HNP. The author is solely responsible for the content.