OSS Director of Security and Operations, Tim Tofaute, spoke with Forbes contributor, Andrew DeAngelo, about medical cannabis reform at the VA.
Recently, the VA launched of a new grants program on suicide prevention services for military veterans that specifically states that it won’t support any treatments involving the use of cannabis. We know that cannabis has been proven to help benefit veterans struggling with pain and insomnia, as well as symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD, but unfortunately only 50% of veterans that return from service seek help.
One thing I’m always on the lookout for is ways to support veterans with cannabis medicine. When I co-founded and operated Harborside, we were one of the first dispensaries to offer a veterans discount (15%), and we hosted free support groups to educate and help veterans with their physical ailments and PTSD. We also tried to show that our community cared for veterans with free alternative health services like yoga and reiki, and our free care package program for vets with low incomes. I recently met Tim Tofaute, the Director of Security & Operations with Operational Security Solutions (OSS).
Tofaute is a US Navy SEAL veteran and no stranger to the long-term damaging effects of PTSD and chronic pain. He’s been working on these issues for some time, and owns a company that provides cash handling and banking services to the cannabis industry. He’s passionate about shining a light on medical cannabis reform for US veterans utilizing VA resources. OSS supports dozens of financial institutions and more than 100 cannabis-related businesses; the team consists of former law enforcement, military and federal professionals to directly support the security and banking needs of the legal cannabis industry.
