Meet the Retired Marine Who Developed a CBD Line Specifically for Veterans

As a retired Marine Corps Officer, Steve Danyluk is one of the last people you would expect to embrace cannabis. However, after spending time working with some of the most severely wounded veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, he saw many veterans using the plant as a natural alternative to opioids for treating pain management and PTSD symptoms.

“I saw with my own eyes how effective cannabis was, but many of these guys were getting it from untrustworthy sources,” said Danyluk.

He realized that there was a need for a company to cater specifically to the needs of veterans, particularly those who have been to war and come home with both physical and mental wounds to provide holistic and natural alternatives to prescribes opioids.

This insight inspired him to found Warfighter Hemp and help scores of veterans become opioid-free and get their lives back.

 “CBD, at least anecdotally, has proven to be extremely effective in helping alleviate some fairly intense stressors, particularly in our combat veterans,” said Danyluk.

Tragically, Danyluk has seen first-hand the devastating effects of opioid addiction and over-prescription amongst the veteran community.

“One of the wounded Marines who I got to know quite well was being treated by the VA for a traumatic brain injury. He was on a wide array of medications, many of which he could not even tell you what they were for. He died in his sleep one night, not from his wounds, but because of the prescription medications that our government fed him.”

Danyluk believes that the risk of overdose and accidental death from prescribed opioids is “a national tragedy that no one seems to care about.”

“Overdose and suicide are common results. The VA has sent out thousands of Noxolone kits to veterans who they fear are in danger of overdosing on opioids — opioids that the veterans became addicted to in the first place because that is what the VA prescribed them.

“I have never heard of a veteran, or anyone for that matter, who overdosed on cannabis.”

Earlier this year, the Department of Defense announced a ban on CBD because of the risk of troops testing positive for cannabis. While Danyluk agrees with the zero-tolerance stance that the DoD has towards recreational cannabis, he thinks “it makes no sense when it comes to CBD, particularly when it comes to CBD isolate products that contain no THC.”

Danyluk believes that the stigma surrounding cannabis — and to a lesser degree CBD — within the veteran community has shifted dramatically in just the last year.

“Last summer, Warfighter Hemp was the first-ever cannabis sponsor of the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) national convention, which signifies a significant step forward in my opinion in terms of a broader acceptance of CBD by the general public.” What impressed Danyluk the most was “the level of awareness that the attendees had at the convention and the thoughtfulness of the questions that they asked.”

The main reasons customers turn to Warfighter Hemp, according to Danyluk, are anxiety, PTSD and pain management.

“At the higher doses, many of our severely wounded veterans have reported that it is extremely effective in their pain management — as effective as the opioids they were being prescribed without any of the negative side effects.”

The general rule of thumb for those new to CBD and medical marijuana products is to start dosing slow and low. But Danyluk believes that this could result in customers not seeing results and giving up after just a few tries. He recommends that Warfighter customers “dose high for the first two weeks, and then decrease your daily dose to a level where you find you can maintain consistent results.”

For this reason, Warfighter Hemp offers a 50% discount on first orders when using the promo code NEW2CBD. “We want people to take advantage of that and get something stronger than they otherwise might not have chosen initially,” said Danyluk.

Veterans, like athletes, are very health conscious and thoughtful about what they put into their bodies. Warfighter only uses hemp that is organically grown in the U.S. and their products are independently tested by a third-party lab for quality and consistency.

Plus, 50% of all Warfighter Hemp’s profits are donated to quality veteran nonprofits. So you know that when you’re helping yourself, you’re also helping our nation’s heroes.

TELL US, are you a veteran who uses CBD?