Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1488734
27 patient focus cannapatientcare.com november/december 2022 | cannabis patient care A screening of Unprescribed at VA Pacific Islands at Tripler Army Medical Center. Left to right: Montel Williams, Steve Ellmore, Leo Bridgewater, and Lynn Bornfriend. Photo courtesy of Steve Ellmore. people who found healing through natural means and got off of the pharmaceuticals," Ellmore explained. After releasing the film, Ellmore met and joined forces with AMVETS Chief Medical Executive, Cherissa Jackson. Through the nonprofit and with the support and collaboration of Jackson, The Unprescribed holds film screenings and panels across the country, posting videos of these discussions on YouTube to help increase awareness. The driving force behind the foundation is the idea that the more screenings of the film, the more lives touched, but this kind of goal comes with its own inherent challenges to over- come. "We're trying to raise money so that we can buy ad- vertising to promote the film so that we can have more en- gagements where we can actually be out there," said Ellmore. "We're looking for support and sponsorships to help keep us on the air, keep us in the public mind, and help me get out there to do more engagements. Veterans don't like asking for help. We want to do it by ourselves, otherwise we're seen as weak. And the same thing goes with the fundraising. I don't like asking for dollars. But I know I have to." With the help of funding from the nonprofit, the panels of doctors, advocates, and veterans share more of their story and engage with the audience in Q&A sessions. "The best format for presenting the film is as a conversation piece with audiences because that opens up the minds of the audience and public, so that it's not just about seeing the film, but actually bouncing off your thoughts with professionals," Ellmore explained. The screenings and discussions engage the audience in topics such as legalization of cannabis, holistic medicine, facing stigma and trauma, and veteran access to medical treatment. They cre- ate a safe place for sharing struggles and a starting point for dif- ficult conversations. As described in the film, physical and men- tal trauma involves prescriptions with disastrous side effects: veterans are dying by suicide at the rate of 22 per day. "These heroes are returning, and many veterans are coming back broken, and they're taking their lives because they don't see any solution in it," said Ellmore. "I'm trying to inspire other people who have been through that trauma to tell their stories and show how cannabis helped them find balance. The whole point was we all have to overcome, though it's so easy to give up." Despite challenges and a massive mission, responses from veterans are an indicator that the message is reaching the hearts of those who need it most. "I continue to get screen- shots from Boone of messages on social media of comments such as, 'dude, you saved my life. I was about to take my life or do more drugs or do something else, and then I saw your thing about cannabis, and it changed me, and it changed my life.' And that's why I'm still here, and I am here for a reason. I told myself that my mission is to be a suicide prevention and plant medicine healing advocate. That's what I'm doing here today. And I'm just trying to be heard," said Ellmore. Challenges and Progress in Veteran Medical Cannabis Use Unprescribed gives a "boots on the ground" picture of the struggles veterans have faced and continue to face in treating mental and physical injuries, especially with medical cannabis. Some change has happened since filming began, but much more still needs to be done. Moving beyond the opioid crisis in- volves rethinking the broader approach to treatment at its core and the impetus behind traditional pharmaceuticals. The struggle for adequate treatment became most promi- nent with the opioid epidemic and the overprescribing of opi- oids. "I was in the middle of interviewing Josh [Frey] when the VA finally figured out the opioid crisis problem," said Ellmore. "And what did they do? Knee jerk reaction. They took all the drugs away. Now you got people becoming heroin addicts, and