If you’ve attended Cannabis Conference or any number of other industry events over the past decade, you may have seen the late Roger Martin. A towering figure at 6’6”, the grayish-white-haired man could be found strolling the expo floor or sitting in conference session rooms, talking with everyone he could in a kind, soft-spoken manner to spread the word about HeroGrown Foundation, an organization he and his son Nick Martin founded in 2011. Originally named “Grow for Vets,” the organization’s founding mission was to help provide veterans with access to cannabis and CBD as an alternative to opioids. Roger—a former U.S. Army veteran and law enforcement officer who developed (and overcame with cannabis) a “VA-fed opioid addiction,” as Nick explains it—died in June 2020; Nick is now continuing to carry out HeroGrown’s expanded mission as its director and working to “save heroes” by providing access to cannabis as a safer alternative to opiates to as many veterans and first responders as possible.
Here, Noelle Skodzinski, editorial director of GIE Media’s Cannabis Group (including Cannabis Business Times, Cannabis Dispensary, Hemp Grower, Cannabis Conference and Hemp Grower Conference), talks with Nick about what it’s like working to build on his and his father’s original vision, how the Reno, Nev.-based 501(c)(3) charitable organization has evolved over the years, and what those in the cannabis industry who want to support veterans and first responders can do to help.
Noelle Skodzinski: What inspired you and your dad to launch HeroGrown (then Grow for Vets)?
Courtesy of Nick Martin
Nick Martin: I helped my father beat his VA-fed opioid addiction using cannabis in 2010. Having discovered the power of the plant, we began giving free cannabis to veterans starting in 2011. In 2018, we began accepting first responders as members and changed our name to HeroGrown Foundation.
NS: What was the original mission vision for it and why were you and your father passionate about it?
NM: Over 50 veterans and first responders die every day from suicide and drug overdose. Cannabis saved my dad’s life, so we set out to save as many heroes as we could using cannabis.
NS: What is it like for you expanding on the work you both started together?
NM: My dad was passionate about helping his brothers and sisters, and carrying on this fight has turned into my life’s mission. There is no higher honor than to serve the men and woman who keep America safe.
NS: How has HeroGrown evolved over the years?
NM: What began as delivering free medicine to a few dozen veterans in 2011 has grown beyond anything we could have imagined. To date, we have given away over $4 million worth of cannabis and CBD to 25,000 veterans and first responders. We ship out between $25,000 and $50,000 worth of CBD per month through our Warrior Airdrop program.
NS: What are some of the HeroGrown accomplishments of which you are most proud?
NM: I’m proud of many of HeroGrown’s accomplishments, including being the first organization to give free cannabis to veterans. Having a positive impact on the life even a single veteran is a major accomplishment for us.
I’m also proud of the role we played in the legalization of cannabis across the country. Our work to liberate cannabis for veterans has gone long way in winning the hearts and minds of cannabis opponents. But this mission won’t be accomplished until all Americans have safe and legal access to cannabis.
NS: What initiatives do you have coming up and to commemorate HeroGrown’s 10-year anniversary this year?
NM: We plan to make our 10th year helping veterans our biggest year ever. We are working towards our goal of giving away $1 million worth of cannabis and CBD over the next year. As COVID restrictions are eased across the country, we will be giving more cannabis away though Bud4Bottles—our program in which members trade old prescription bottles for free cannabis.
NS: What are the organization’s biggest challenges?
NM: When we started this journey, we lived under the constant threat of arrest and prosecution for giving cannabis to veterans. Though laws are changing, many people in power are still opposed to our mission—cannabis is still illegal both federally and in many states. And even in legalized states, giving free cannabis to veterans doesn’t generate tax revenue, so we have faced pushback from some enforcement bodies. We are also restricted and “shadow-banned” for our involvement with cannabis and veterans, so reaching the public has become more challenging. I talked to our social media manager about how we are being shadow banned, and he gave a couple more examples and stats. One of the biggest and most frustrating issues we deal with is how Facebook will typically only show our posts to two to three percent of our followers. And when combined with not being allowed to advertise on social media, getting our message out is very difficult.
“To date, we have given away over $4 million worth of cannabis and CBD to 25,000 veterans and first responders.” – Nick Martin, Director, HeroGrown Foundation
… I’m assuming it’s very similar to what all other [cannabis] companies are experiencing. And we find it very frustrating, not just because of the cannabis aspect of it, but also because we’re a veteran organization, and that’s the heart of us. So, we’re still being treated that way. It definitely makes things difficult.
But we’re never going to give up this fight. We’re going to keep going for as long as we can until our mission is complete.
NS: What can cannabis and hemp growers and dispensaries, as well as others in the industry, do to support the organization? Are these industry groups important to helping achieve HeroGrown’s mission?
NM: HeroGrown is a family of all volunteers, so our partners are extremely important to our life-saving mission. We are able to operate and continue this fight because of the products and sponsorship support that we receive from the industry. We are very grateful that the cannabis industry is full of incredible people that support our mission.
NS: More specifically, what types of support is most helpful? Are you looking for product donations or financial or logistical support from volunteers, or dispensaries to accept donations on behalf of HeroGrown?
NM: We are all volunteer-based here. So, basically anything and everything. And my real vision, too, is to build an organization and a resource for all veterans that are going to feel like they’re at home and they’re going to be able to connect with each other and help each other as well.
And so, anything and everything you mentioned would obviously help that cause and that mission. We’re open to working with anybody in the industry who wants to help our veterans, anybody with a dispensary donating products, logistical support—everything. We’re also always open for great minds to help us.
And that’s really what it’s all about: bringing together a good core group of individuals and companies to really make a difference in what we’re trying to accomplish.
… Everything that comes into us, we put it right back out and give it to our veterans. So, the more we bring in, the more we can help is basically our philosophy.