Researching Cannabis Benefits for Women Veterans

Cannabis may have therapeutic benefits for female veterans, a vulnerable group at significantly greater risk of PTSD and suicide. Despite these risks, in a recent systematic review examining 86 studies on cannabis use in military veterans, only one study focused exclusively on female veterans. There is a critical need to identify new treatment options and give a voice to this underrepresented community. Realm of Caring Foundation is actively recruiting for an IRB-approved, in-depth observational study of cannabis use amongst women veterans.

According to the United States Census Bureau, there are over 18 million veterans or approximately 7 percent of the adult population in the United States. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is especially prevalent among veterans.

Within the veteran population, female veterans are at significantly greater risk for suicide than nonveteran female adults. Adjusting for age and race/ethnicity, female veterans have the highest lifetime and past-year post-traumatic stress disorder rates. Several factors may contribute to these findings, including military or civilian sexual assault or harassment history.

Compounding these factors, as female veterans with a history of suicide attempts report a lower willingness to seek care, research aimed at understanding how to better engage female veterans is necessary.

In recent years, research has demonstrated that PTSD sufferers experience reduced symptoms of PTSD after the consumption of cannabis. In fact, cannabis is increasingly ranked as one of the top three substances used and the most frequently federally illegal substance used by veterans in the U.S.

Help us investigate the therapeutic potential of cannabis in this underrepresented group. No matter the size, we appreciate any donation more than we can express! We will continue to advocate for the mainstream acceptance of transformative, plant-powered therapies.

Realm of Caring Study on Cannabis Use Amongst Women Veterans

This IRB-approved, longitudinal study will be conducted over several months to assess health outcomes related to cannabis use. Additionally, extensive qualitative data in the form of interviews and open-ended survey questions will assess first-hand narrative experiences to give a voice to this underrepresented community.

Throughout the study, participants will be offered guidance and support by a dedicated care team. After completing each survey, they will also be compensated for their involvement in the study. Participants are volunteers and can withdraw from the study at any time.

The inclusion criteria for this IRB-approved study include:

1. You are at least 18 years old.

2. You identify as female.

3. You are a United States military veteran.

4. You read and write English fluently.

5. You are willing to complete several surveys and share an email address where you will receive reminders with links to survey assessments.

6. In the next 3-8 weeks you are planning to begin use of cannabis regularly, at least once per week or 20 days per month throughout the study period. The cannabis may be THC-dominant, CBD-dominant, or other variations of cannabinoids from the cannabis plant. (Note: You may have used cannabis in the past/are a non-regular user currently)

OR

7. You do not plan to use cannabis throughout the study period.

Founded in 2013, Realm of Caring (RoC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit serving anyone in need of more information about cannabinoid therapies. Through revolutionary research, innovative education, and life-changing grants, RoC seeks to facilitate and encourage the mainstream acceptance of transformative, plant-powered therapies to benefit individuals and families and serve healthcare providers as well as the hemp and cannabis industries.

To date, RoC has served over 72,000 clients, aided in passing cannabis legislation in 22 states, and published several manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals on the benefits of cannabinoid therapy for specific conditions. This data was gathered from our global observational research registry (ORR), created in 2014 to better understand how individuals are using cannabis as a therapy in their everyday lives. This ongoing study has over 4,000 participants, 100 listed healthcare conditions, and provided a pathway for future breakout studies, such as this one looking at cannabis use among female veterans. Anyone in the world can sign up for the ORR.

RoC offers these services free of cost to the community and is entirely funded by donations, which is why we need your help!

We'd like to thank our collaborators and supporters, including We Decode - empowering individuals to make optimal health decisions based on comprehensive genomics screenings and Alleviate Labs - improving individuals' quality of life by providing pharmaceutical-grade technology to radically change the way medicine is dispensed and tracked within the health and wellness industry.