Did soldiers in Vietnam heal themselves with cannabis?
- Approximately one-third of troops used marijuana during the Vietnam War
- Medical cannabis was one way soldiers coped with the horrors of war
- Cannabis was primarily smoked outside the main front, in safe camps
On April 30th, the 43rd anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War was commemorated. During this war, over 3 million Vietnamese and more than 58,000 Americans died. In total, more than 3 million men and women of American citizenship served. According to recent surveys, approximately one-third of these people smoked marijuana during the war.
Since medical cannabis plants grow like weeds in Vietnam, the American army essentially never lacked dried marijuana supplies. "We always had high-quality, premium material available. No stems or seeds and such," recalls John Adams, a computer engineer currently residing in California. Adams served two tours in Vietnam, specifically under the FSR logistics division in Da Nang.
"Just hop in a jeep and head to Four Corners," Adams further describes the procedures, "and buy 20 well-packaged joints for 10 dollars. They were really nice, wish I had photographed them then. It was quite a strong hit, two puffs and you had to sit down for a while.
Many soldiers smoked, but not everyone
While some soldiers enjoyed marijuana during warfare, it was much more common for military personnel to light up once units withdrew from the front lines and settled in camp.
One 70-year-old veteran, Alan, mentions in an interview with Leafly magazine: "In my unit, nobody smoked or at least I didn't notice. I'm certain marijuana smoking was much more frequent in demilitarized zones than on the front. There, we had to be alert and always ready for an enemy who could appear at any moment." Alan served in Vietnam in the LLRP reconnaissance department between 1967 and 1969.
Marijuana in Vietnam as an Open Secret
From veterans' accounts of the Vietnam War, it appears that medical cannabis usage was an open secret during wartime.
Jeremy Kuzmarov, associate professor of history at the University of Tulsa and author of the book The Myth of and Addicted Army: Vietnam and the Modern War on Drugs, says: "The army was never much interested in soldiers smoking cannabis, superiors didn't care. But then it became a problem due to press and propaganda for public perception."
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