Had I not found what cannabis can do for my pain and PTSD, I very likely would have ended up a statistic. I couldn’t stand the terrible side effects my VA prescriptions were causing, so in 2015, I completely shut myself off from the world. I nearly lost everything. But with the help of cannabis and nature I was able to go from homeless and alienated, to thriving and happy. I did the work and soon learned to accept myself through sharing my experiences with others. Talking seemed to lift the burden. Now…I am a cannabis success story.
As soon as my mind came back to me, my first thought was to share my love of cannabis and the outdoors with any veteran that would join me. In early 2017, I founded @VeteransWalkAndTalk. My goal was to form a universal gathering of loving veterans who would walk and talk once a week. Cannabis has helped me handle my PTSD and pain. It has done the same for every single veteran that has walked with us. Cannabis is our catalyst, it is not everything, it is our way back to everything. Cannabis and a walk in the woods amongst your brothers and sisters is among the best therapy any veteran can have.
We now hike every Sunday all around Southern California with anywhere from four to twelve veterans; many of which live in transitional housing. We also do community outreach several times a month and plan on becoming a non profit in the next 6 months. Canndescent, Buddha Co., Beard Bros, Fatty’s Prerolls, 99 High Tide and Too Stoned HiCal are the chief sponsors of @Veteranswalkandtalk. VWAT is also supportive of @VeteransCannaCoalition and the work Bill Ferguson and Eric Goepel are doing in Washington DC.
To join us please visit VeteransWalkandTalk.com
Colin Wells is an Army Infantry Veteran and served 4 years, including a 13 month tour in Afghanistan from July 2009 – August 2010. As a child he was a voice actor on Steven Spielberg’s Animaniacs, where he played “Colin” a character based on himself. He also created and produced the documentary “Laughter Under Fire: An Open Invitation into the Mind of a Combat Veteran.”
www.Laughterunderfire.org
Colin Wells