Veteran prescribed 'ghastly' amount of cannabis by for-profit health company
For nearly two years, veteran Steve Johnstone was prescribed huge quantities of high-THC cannabis by doctors he'd never spoken to.
Veteran Steve Johnstone received an alarming amount of cannabis for medicinal purposes, prescribed by a for-profit health company. Doctors were taken aback by the dosage and could not comprehend the level of functioning he maintained. In April, Steve was admitted to a psychiatric ward for veterans due to paranoia, suicidal thoughts, and insomnia.
Despite this, he was given excessive amounts of high-THC cannabis by two for-profit companies funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The investigation by Four Corners revealed that some for-profit providers aggressively target veterans through advertising and phone calls, promoting free services funded by DVA. Steve's case exemplified the risks associated with these high-strength cannabis prescriptions, which have been associated with dependence and psychosis.
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