TIME FOR CANNABIS ALTERNATIVEs
‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” - Charles Dickens
s an army veteran, joining the military was one of the best experiences of my life, but being a female veteran has proved to be a harrowing experience to say the least. While as an enlistee, there is work-place abuse, burgeoning mental illnesses among the troops, sexual assaults, and a dismal health care system care for females. The United States (US) Armed Forces has been more than derelict in its duty to protect and support.
In 2014, the Washington Post reported that (20) soldiers commit suicide each day. In the same article the Veteran Affairs (VA) reported that Veterans’ health-care
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veterans’ healthcare gaps have created a ‘greater risk’ for opioid abuse among the troops (Washington Post, 2017). Female veterans still find that the VA healthcare system lacks the resources and initiative to care for women returning from duty or while on active duty (GH, 2010). Women veterans are said to experience greater pain intensity, disability, and distress than men hence more opioid use (Gibson, 2017).
I have only been to a Veteran Affairs (VA) Hospital once and that was to deliver my son while stationed at JBLM – Joint Base Lewis McChord in Washington State. It's a t of botched procedures, baby deaths and delivery issues within the VA Healthcare System.
military veterans & the opioid crisis:
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