Medicine men
Veterans learn the ‘how-tos’ of medical marijuana from other veterans
SUMMERSIDE – Imagine eating the same peanut butter and jelly sandwich three times a day, 365 days a year.
Now, instead of a sandwich, make it medication.
Island armed forces veteran Mike Hopping didn’t sign up for that routine.
“I’m all about trying new things. As a chef, there is nothing I won’t try or eat,” he said with a grin. On Wednesday, Hopping, and fellow veteran Lance Covyeow, made a presentation to a local veterans’ support group on how to make edibles, their own medications and cooking with cannabis.
“Everything I take, I make,” said Hopping, who uses medical marijuana to help combat anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
“For people like us, veterans who use medicinal marijuana, it isn’t about getting high. That’s a big misconception. We’re not the stoners people think we are.”
Hopping started using medicinal marijuana because he wanted to control what substances he was putting in his body.
When he started exploring making his own medications with marijuana, he asked himself, “how can this help me?”
“There is nowhere on P.E.I. for training to make this stuff. So, I had to do a lot of research. I’m not an expert on any of this. It’s a lot of other people’s science and my learning experience,” Hopping stressed to the captivated audience of veterans that attended the session.
Initially, when he first started working on cooking with his medication, which now takes on the form of capsules, gummy bears, hard candies, cookies and other foods, the combinations he used were too strong.
“It was very strong…” he said, giving a laugh, “so we went back to the drawing board. It was a lot of trial and error. But that’s part of the fun of it.”
Hopping has found the ratio of one-part tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and one-part cannabidiol (CBD) is the right combination to treat his PTSD.
“Here’s the thing, CBD is for pain, treating anxieties and PTSD. THC is what is associated with the high. Those are things you need to take into consideration when you’re making your own medication. What works for me might not work for you.
“Then there are the sativas, a cannabis strain, that is better used in the day because it’s more of an awakening and won’t make you drowsy. That’s what you take in the daytime. There are also indica strains, which kind of mellow you out and can help you sleep,” Hopping explained.
Covyeow, since using medical marijuana, has been pharmaceutical free for five years.
“At one point I was taking 17 pills a day to function. With six pills at night just to be able to sleep.”
He served in the military for 17 years and was deployed to Afghanistan three times.
Following the tours, he was diagnosed with complex PTSD.
“I enjoy the control I have over my medication. I can decide how much I put in me.”
The support group session, which lasted about two hours, had more than 30 veterans in attendance.
Its purpose was to bring knowledge to members of the veteran community as well as to help end stigma surrounding the use of medical marijuana.
“In this case, knowledge is power,” said Covyeow.
Jen Young, who served for 16 years and is one of the facilitators of the support group, said using medicinal marijuana or making your own medication isn’t cookie cutter.
“It’s not like you learn everything and then you’re done. You have to be aware of your body, where and how you are taking your meds, and when you take them.
“It takes a lot of self-awareness. That was the biggest thing for me.”
She said some professionals recommend medical marijuana users keep a journal.
“That’s never been my thing, but I can see its benefit because it allows you to track how you feel when you take a certain med, what time of day you took it, where you took it. Everything. It gives you a better idea of what might be effective.”
Like Hopping, she stressed that they aren’t experts on the subject but felt the session was extremely important to the veteran community.
“What we’re saying isn’t gospel. It’s about building knowledge and talking about the experience or process of using medicinal marijuana.”