a deep interest in growing his own medicine , as he is now a licensed medical cannabis patient and caregiver .
Dave is a plumber today working on multi-million-dollar development projects . He shared with me that he was an emancipated minor at the age of 16 and had always wanted to serve his country , which compelled him to enlist when he was 17 . He was driven by patriotism and a desire to get direction in his life . He was an active-duty infantryman who deployed soon after arriving at his unit , A Company , 1-22 Infantry , 4th Infantry Division . He told me proudly that this was the same storied unit that captured Saddam Hussein .
Dave deployed to Iraq in December of 2005 , experiencing some of the “ best , worst , and craziest days ” of his life during that deployment . He likes to be humble , but he served , which is something that fewer than one percent of Americans can claim . And he served in a war zone with the Infantry , which is harrowing stuff . Dave is proud of his service and says he made some of the best friends of his life while serving , though he thinks more often of the people who didn ’ t come home than the ones who did . He says he would do it all again in a heartbeat — and do it for free . Unfortunately , his choice of medicine will preclude his ability to serve for the moment , but I will continue to work on changing that .
Dave said he wants to grow cannabis because he believes it was put here on this earth for the people . He knows that cannabis is one of the safest ways to address his medical needs , as it has already helped him with so many anger issues , depression , anxiety , and above all , PTSD . As you can see from this photo , Dave has his tent set up and has already popped seeds for several strains . He tells me he sings to them daily and looks forward to learning more about this healing plant .
Veteran Dave Ericson with his newly donated GrowGeneration grow tent and starter plants .
Best of luck with your grow , Dave ! We will catch up with you at the end of the year to hear about your progress . Thanks for your service , and never stop growing .
Todd Scattini is a 27-year veteran LTC , U . S . Army ( Ret .). A West Point graduate , Scattini commanded troops at the platoon and company level , and served as a military diplomat and Defense Attaché in numerous countries . He deployed twice to Afghanistan , serving as a senior advisor to the coalition commander . He has been an activist pushing for medical cannabis access for veterans across the country , serving in board advisory positions at the Veterans Cannabis Project , Kansas Cannabis Coalition , and the Hemp For Victory Foundation . His company Harvest 360 , is a full-service cannabis consulting firm specializing in helping clients become licensed operators . Todd . scattini @ harvest360 . co .
Medical decisions should not be made based on advertising . Consult a physician on the benefits and risks of particular medical marijuana products .
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