Politics
Top Veterans Group Partners With Cannabis Brand To Promote THC Drinks As Alcohol Alternative At VFW Posts
A top veterans organization has entered a first-of-its-kind partnership with a hemp THC beverage company, with a licensing branding deal that will support a variety of veterans services and promote cannabis drinks as a potential alcohol alternative.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) of the United States on Tuesday announced it reached an agreement with Torch Drinks, a Florida-based cannabis business that produces hemp-derived THC beverages. In addition to the branding licensing agreement, the cannabis drinks will be made available at VFW posts across the country in jurisdictions where they are legal.
“The VFW recognizes the importance of providing veterans with alternatives to alcohol consumption, and through this relationship the VFW can provide members in states where Torch beverages are legal with alcohol alternatives that may better benefit veterans coping with service-connected injuries, chronic pain or the invisible wounds of war,” the announcement says.
This marks the first time a major veterans service organization (VSO) has collaborated in such a way with a cannabis company.
Select Torch Drinks products will carrying VFW branding—and proceeds from the sale of those drinks will go toward initiatives such as the organization’s national veterans service program that provides no-cost assistance in filing health claims with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), as well as another program delivering financial assistance to veteran families.
“The VFW’s top priority is ensuring that veterans and their families receive the care, benefits and support they have earned through their service,” VFW National Commander Carol Whitmore said in a press release. “Working with Torch helps us raise funds for those vital programs while also allowing us to explore better ways to meet the needs of an evolving veterans’ community.”
VFW, which describes itself as “the nation’s largest and most established major war veterans organization” has historically supported legislative reforms to expand research and access to alternative treatments for veterans, including medical cannabis, hemp-derived products and psychedelics. A representative of the organization testified before Congress earlier this year on the issue.
Founded in 1899, the congressionally chartered organization has more than 1.4 million VFW and auxiliary members located in nearly 6,000 Posts worldwide, it says.
“Torch Drinks is proud to work with the VFW to provide veterans with a safe, federally compliant, social alternative that is like none other,” Collin Kerrigan, co-founder of Torch Beverage Company, said. “Customers tell us Torch products help promote relaxation and revitalization, which is why we want to make it more widely available to people and veterans who may enjoy it.”
“It is our mission to support the men and women who serve the United States in uniform while promoting ongoing research and discussions about innovative health solutions,” he said. “It is truly an honor and a privilege to make this announcement.”
—
Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.
Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
—
Meanwhile, marijuana and veterans advocacy groups recently launched a campaign to mobilize veterans to help convince Republican lawmakers to embrace embrace federal cannabis reform.
Federally funded research published in August on the relationship between PTSD and cannabis use in veterans found that marijuana is associated with milder PTSD symptoms and reduced negative affect—the tendency to experience frequent or intense negative emotions.
Also that month, the Senate approved large-scale spending legislation that includes provisions to allow VA doctors to recommend medical marijuana to military veterans living in legal states.
In past years, both the House and Senate have included provisions in their respective MilConVA measures that would permit VA doctors to make the medical cannabis recommendations, but they have never been enacted into law.
Because both chambers again adopted differing language this year, the matter will once more be a topic of conversation in conference committee or informal bicameral negotiations and, as such, could end up being left out of the final package sent to the president this time, as has been the case in the past.
Meanwhile, a GOP senator said in August that he’s “confident” that, under the Trump administration, lawmakers will help secure alternative treatment options for veterans—including access to psychedelic medicine, as multiple veterans have personally requested from him after disclosing they’ve travelled abroad for the novel therapy.
