Between 2010 and 2019, 42,627 U.S. veterans died of a drug overdose. In fact, military veterans are 1.5 to 2 times as likely to die of an accidental overdose than the general population. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has taken some laudable steps to address opioid use in recent years, including expanding access to the overdose reversal drug naloxone and medications to treat opioid use disorder. But we can do more. Decriminalizing cannabis at the federal level would provide another tool to lessen the harms associated with opioids while reducing the potential risks associated with overcriminalization.
Military service puts veterans at increased risk for a range of physical and psychological ailments, from chronic pain to post-traumatic stress disorder and insomnia. These factors can contribute to veterans’ higher rates of opioid misuse and opioid use disorder, and their subsequent risk for opioid-related overdose. While we still have much to learn about the risks and benefits of medical cannabis use, one thing is clear: Though not a risk-free panacea, it is far less dangerous than opioids.
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