For Immediate Release
As a way of showing support for the bravest among us, O.penVAPE has pledged to donate one dollar to Grow for Vets USA from every O.penVAPE camouflage or American flag vaporizer sold online and in stores throughout its licensee network in Colorado, Oregon, New Mexico, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada.November 4, 2016 (Woodland Park, CO) – Grow For Vets USA a national, tax-exempt nonprofit organization that has given more than $1M in free cannabis products to Veterans over the past 3 years, today announced that O.penVAPE, the world’s largest cannabis company, has launched a fundraising project that will kick off on Veterans Day, November 11, 2016.
Ralph Morgan, CEO of O.penVAPE, cited a March 2016 report from the Veteran’s Administration that concluded approximately 60 percent of returning soldiers from the Middle East and 50 percent of older generation veterans suffer from chronic pain. He referred to a 2013 analysis by the Center for Investigative Reporting that showed a 270 percent increase in written prescriptions for veterans for opiates over the past 12 years. The report concluded this spike led to heavy opioid addiction and a fatal overdose rate of two times the national average.
“Opioid dependence and abuse is a national tragedy and our vets are not at fault,” Morgan said. “We want to help veterans, our heroes, find a safer path to relief, free of opioids and the dangers associated with prolonged use of addictive drugs.”
According to Roger B. Martin, a U.S. Army Veteran who is the founder and executive director of Grow for Vets USA, “more American heroes will die this year from prescription drug overdose and suicide than the total of U.S. military causalities sustained over the past forty years combined.”
In a recent news article, Martin stated that, “Because of the way that the Veterans Administration hands out deadly prescription drug cocktails, over one million Veterans are presently at risk of being added to the rapidly growing list of the more than 18,000 Veterans who are needlessly dying every year. America’s bravest deserve a safe alternative to these dangerous drugs.”
Martin also notes that, “Grow for Vets USA is incredibly proud to be associated with O.penVAPE, a company that shares our commitment to providing Veterans with a safe alternative to deadly prescription drugs that now kill more than 50 Veterans a day.”
A former heavy cigarette smoker, Martin further noted that, “I’m sure that our relationship with O.penVAPE will be a long lasting one. Ralph Morgan and the entire O.penVAPE team are dedicated to providing products that offer a safer way for people to administer their cannabis medicine.”
O.penVAPE will be adding dispensaries participating in the Grow for Vets USA project on their website. Visit www.openvape.com for a full list.
About Grow for Vets – The mission of Grow for Vets USA is to help reduce the staggering number of Veterans who die each day from suicide and prescription drug overdose. We provide Veterans with the knowledge and resources necessary to obtain or grow their own medical cannabis. To date, Grow for Vets USA and its affiliated chapters have given away more than $1M in medical cannabis products to thousands of American heroes. We are working to raise awareness by enlisting the public’s aid and support in ensuring that all injured, ill and wounded Veterans receive the respect and dignity of life that they deserve. Our purpose is to provide Veterans with unique products, programs, and services designed to assist them in living with injuries sustained while protecting our freedom. Grow for Vets USA is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization headquartered in Colorado. To get involved or to learn more, please visit www.GrowForVets.org.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Lori Martin
720.641.8496
Audrey Livingston
903.705.3885
Ann Dickerson
303.319.4330