Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services transfers more than $23 million in funds to agencies
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services transferred more than $23 million in funds generated by Missouri's adult use marijuana program to the Missouri Veterans Commission and DHSS.
The funds will be used to support veteran families, strengthen overdose prevention education, and expand access to drug addiction treatment programs, according to a press release from the DHSS.
Albert Martin served as a supply specialist in the Army for nine years. Martin says those years were a great time for him to find his purpose.
According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, the Missouri Veterans Commission will receive a little more than $11 million generated by Missouri’s adult-use marijuana program. These funds will be used exclusively for providing health care and other essential services to military veterans and their dependent families.
For veterans like Martin, who completed his military service in 2018, transitioning back to civilian life was not easy.
"I think when you go through the military and when you're going through training and you're going through MIPS you kind of get like this....it's not stardom. It's not stardom but it's like people appreciate you for going and joining the military and you get the flashy side of how you joined the military," Martin said.
But after his service ended, Martin says he experienced an identity crisis and had a hard time adjusting to his new schedule.
"Once you get out of that and you no longer are in the uniform and you no longer are with the badge... I think the uniform is a badge for some people. Once you take that off and you're just who you are, it's kind of like people don't recognize you for that anymore," Martin said.
During this difficult period, Martin turned to marijuana as a way to cope with the challenges of post-military life.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, there is no scientific research that supports the use of marijuana effectively treats PTSD symptoms.
"I think anything that you overuse can be considered bad. If you take too much candy, you drink too much soda, you eat too much chips, all that could be considered bad," Martin said. "But marijuana really helped me to be able to relax and not go about my day to day to stress."
In addition to the $11 million given to the Missouri Veterans Commission, another $11 million will go to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. These funds will be used to support a grant program aimed at improving access to evidence-based addiction treatment and providing resources such as job placement, housing, and counseling for individuals with substance use disorders.
According to the Missouri Department of Health, more than $116 million was spent on adult-use and medical cannabis in February alone.
