Veteran’s Make their Choice Clear – Marijuana over Pills June 19, 2015 – Posted in: Marijuana News – Tags: #OperationOverMed, Marines, Medical Marijuana, Mike Whiter, PTSD, Veteran
I was in the Marine Corps for 11 years and did two combat tours before being medically discharged. After coming back home, I was put on 40 different medications over the course of five years. In 2012, after watching a documentary, I decided to try cannabis. I felt more relaxed after one joint than I had after tons of combinations of pharmaceuticals. I threw away my pills and my quality of life is better than it has been in years.
I think it is very important to note that cannabis is not a cure for PTSD, but in combination with therapy, it can open a whole new world for you.
These photos were a part of Mike Whiter’s #OperationOverMed campaign. His images depict veterans – himself included in the set – who have been discharged from the military, and since been prescribed a variety of pharmaceuticals. All of Whiters subjects share their personal stories of overmedication alongside their portrait. Mr. Whiter’s campaign aims to raise awareness among veterans that alternative treatments are available – including pairing therapy and marijuana.
#OperationOverMed ends Veterans Day, when Mike Whiter will begin curating his photos and stories into an #OperationOverMed photo journal. The book will hopefully be available for sale in stores.
About the Photographer
I’m a full time student, photographer, veteran and political activist. From candid street photography to studio portraits, I love it all. I am a second year photography major at the Art Institute of Philadelphia. I was in the Marine Corps for eleven years and discharged for seven before attending the Art Institute, and it is my experience in the Marines along with the issues I faced post discharge that drive my passion for documenting life from behind a lens.
-Mike Whiter, About Me
See more on Mike’s Facebook page and website.
2 Comments
Eva Hua June 20, 2015 - 12:32
I would love it if we would start prescribing marijuana to our veterans!!!
Marijuana has been ILLEGAL for over 70 years!
What are the results?
*Today marijuana is America’s #1 cash crop.
*Today American kids can buy marijuana easier than they can buy a beer.
*Marijuana is stronger and easier to get than ever before, albeit much more expensive than it should be. To smoke casually from the “black market”, it will run you $100/month. This is much more expensive than it needs to be. More expensive than my cell phone ($20/month from Tmobile), car insurance ($25/month from Insurance Panda), netflix ($10/month), and gym ($15/month from PF) COMBINED!!! Would you rather put money into the hands of violent gangs and drug dealers… or into taxes for schools, hospitals, public infrastructure, etc.???
*Today marijuana is the #1 source of income for violent drug gangs and drug cartels who are richer and more dangerous than ever before.
*Guns are illegal in Mexico yet Mexican drug cartels are buying machine guns, rocket launchers, grenades, airplanes, armored vehicles, anti-aircraft guns, and even submarines.
*There are over half a million Americans in jail right now for non-violent drug crimes.
*The DEA has been having sex parties funded by drug cartels.
The ATF/DOJ has given thousands of guns to drug cartels.
I have this stupid thing I do called THINKING, and clearly I can see that marijuana prohibition can never work! America should have learned this simple lesson from alcohol prohibition!
After Decades of Denial, the National Cancer Institute Finally Recognizes that “Marijuana Kills Cancer” | Common Object August 22, 2015 - 09:38
[…] marijuana become legitimized in the medical community. Without this research, access to medical marijuana for veterans and others in need may go on […]