Compassionate Care Program in Southern Oregon Offers Almost Free Cannabis For Veterans

54 Green Acres and Breeze Botanicals are teaming up to provide Veterans with high-quality, organic cannabis at the lowest price allowable by the State of Oregon’s OLCC. From July 4th and running through Labor Day, veterans will be able to purchase organic cannabis at $1.00 per ounce, which is as close to free as the law allows.

The program also includes the ability for all clients at Breeze Botanicals to donate to help pay the cost for veterans.

Vin Deschamps, owner of 54 Green Acres is deeply connected to veterans. His father was a lifelong Army man, and Vin’s twin spent 8 years in the Air Force. Vin had a high draft number in the 1972 lottery and wasn’t drafted but he lost many of his high school friends in Vietnam. As the pandemic seized the economy and times have become more stressful, veterans are never far from Vin’s thoughts, and he worries about the impact of the stress and anxiety on the lives of our veterans especially those with PTSD.

Vin wanted to help, and he knew just who to call.

Vin has been working with the Compassionate Care program at Breeze Botanicals through donations of his cannabis flower for several years but this time, he wanted it to be special. He worked with Sam Schuh, General Store Manager, and Brie Malarkey, Founder & CEO, to create a program that could distribute a 20-pound donation to veterans at the lowest cost to them possible while complying with OLCC rules. If demand is great, Vin will increase the donation.

Sam also feels a call to help the veteran community. She had a grandfather that served and knows many veterans in her community. Sam takes the duty of ensuring those that are the most unprotected and vulnerable have access to the important medicine cannabis has to offer. “We came from the darkness to fight to be here, we have a responsibility to do that for other people.”

VFW Support of Cannabis for PTSD

Cannabis is an important medication in the treatment of PTSD and that fact is becoming more widely acknowledged. In the September 2021 issue of their magazine, the VFW alerted veterans to the results of the first FDA-regulated study of the benefits of cannabis on PTSD. The importance of federal acknowledgment of the potential of cannabis treatment for veterans’ symptoms can’t be understated. While the plant remains federally illegal, the VFW restated its intent to “stand and support federally funded research of medicinal cannabis for veterans being treated by the VA for service-related chronic pain.”

It was the healing potential of cannabis that inspired CEO Brie Malarkey’s passion and dedication to herbalism in general and cannabis in particular. That passion and dedication to using herbs for pain relief lead her on the difficult but rewarding road to opening Southern Oregon’s first licensed medical dispensary. This road included being the first person with a business plan solid enough to get Southern Oregon to lift its moratorium. Eventually, led by Brie, Breeze Botanicals would also be the first licensed for general adult-use in the entire state of Oregon. Ask her about why she chose the Gold Hill store as the first and you’ll be treated to her passion for that community. It was the first community that worked with her to realize her vision of an Apothecary / Dispensary.

Compassion Program

Part of that vision has been the store’s Compassion Program, which she’s been running since Veteran’s Day in 2014. The program launched after witnessing so many veterans seeking therapeutic relief from cannabis. Because of the legal structure in the state of Oregon, cannabis farms and processors of cannabis-infused products can’t directly gift cannabis to anybody, including veterans. But Brie has lobbied found ways to work with the state and advocated for low-income and farms to give access to veterans and others in need to have safe access to this important medicine since 2014.

It’s just one of the many ways that Brie has worked tirelessly to advocate for cannabis since the beginning of legalization.

It was Brie’s passion for the work and the amazing, inclusive space she created at Breeze Botanicals that made Sam Schuh want to work for Breeze. She submitted her resume every day until a position opened a week later. Sam’s devoted the last four years to serving the health and wellness of her clients and tries to change the conversation around cannabis by educating consumers about the variety of benefits the plant has to offer. As General Store Manager she also helps curate the selection of products and takes the needs of the community into account when doing so.

Brie built Breeze Botanical’s model by centering the healing properties of the plant — not just for individuals, but for entire communities. Inspired by the relationships she fostered in the Southern Oregon community; she’s driven to create a business that gives back as much as possible. That’s why part of the business model includes highlighting locally grown organic cannabis. Who decides what organic is? Brie and Sam do — through personal visits and evaluations of the farm’s practices. She couldn’t leave that to anyone else.

54 Green Acres, of course, passes that muster. 54 Green Acres is an organic farm in Southern Oregon. In addition to sun growing award-winning organic cannabis, Vin and Kate Deschamps also keep bees and grow a variety of other plants. 54 Green Acres uses the natural water resources that the Illinois River Valley has to offer, and the property has had water rights since 1882. Vin and his team grow flavorful, terpene-rich cannabis using methods that are Certified Kind. In addition to state-mandated tests, 54 Green Acres offers full transparency for the terpene profiles and cannabinoid content of their flower.

I’ve been a huge fan of 54 Green Acres since I first wrote about their cannabis in 2020. It’s been such a pleasure to find out that a farm that grows such good cannabis also is dedicated to helping ensure that veterans have access to this important medication, especially in difficult economic times. It’s inspiring to see businesses like 54 Green Acres and Breeze Botanicals work to lift up both the community and the industry.

If you want to learn more about this special program for veterans featuring high quality organic cannabis at $1.00 an ounce, stop by one of the Breeze Botanicals locations or visit them at www.breezebotanicals.com. If you’d like to show your support, feel free to contact them!