I’ve spent the last seven years sitting across from veterans who survived things most people will never have to imagine. Combat zones. Traumatic injuries. The kind of memories that don’t stay on the battlefield, no matter how hard they try to leave them there.
When people talk about “life after service,” they usually picture a clean transition into civilian life. What I hear from veterans every week is that the struggle doesn’t stop when their service ends. It just changes shape, and most of it happens privately, away from the people who think they’re “home safe.”
For many veterans, that battle shows up as sleepless nights, panic attacks that come out of nowhere, chronic pain that never lets up, and a healthcare system that pushes more pills than solutions. We don’t talk enough about how heavy that is, or what it does to a person when help feels out of reach. The suicide rate for veterans is still more than double that of non-veterans, and nearly a quarter of America’s unhoused population once wore the uniform. Those numbers aren’t accidental. They’re the result of a system letting people fall through the cracks.
Across more than 8,000 patient conversations, I’ve learned that one of the most meaningful lifelines we have is medical cannabis. Not because it’s a cure-all but because it gives people room to function again. I’ve watched veterans who were barely getting through the day finally sleep through the night. I’ve seen others talk about their anxiety easing for the first time in years, or describe what it feels like to have their pain dialed down without being knocked flat by prescriptions.
Those small shifts matter. They’re often the first real signs of relief anyone has offered them. I’ve seen families get their loved ones back. That’s why I’ve made it my work to make sure veterans don’t have to fight for something that could actually help them heal.
When the System Fails, Veterans Pay the Price
Most people assume the biggest barrier for veterans is stigma. Yes, that still exists, but the real barrier, the one that stops people before they even get the chance to try cannabis, is cost.
A single medical cannabis certification can run hundreds of dollars, and for many veterans, that might as well be a locked door. I’ve met veterans living on fixed disability pay where every dollar is already spoken for before it even hits their account. I’ve worked with veterans choosing between groceries and their renewal fee. I’ve talked to countless people who walk away from cannabis entirely, not because it didn’t help, but because they couldn’t afford the costs required to access it legally.
That’s why I started offering free certifications. At first, it was just a handful of veterans who clearly needed support. Then a few more. Then dozens. Today, through Veterans Cannabis Care, we’ve provided more than 900 free medical cannabis certifications with no strings attached, no hoops to jump through, no “qualifying events” they have to perform. If you served and you’re suffering, that’s enough.
Here’s the truth: no one should have to start a nonprofit just so veterans can afford basic care. But until someone higher up decides to fix what’s broken, we must keep filling the gap however we can.
What Cannabis Gives Back
I’ve seen cannabis help veterans taper off medications they’ve spent years relying on: antidepressants, benzos, sleeping pills, opioids. I’ve had veterans tell me it’s the first thing that has quieted their nightmares in a decade. I hear it all the time. Someone will say, “Man, this is the first time I’ve actually felt present with my family.” The details change from vet to vet, but the heart of it doesn’t: cannabis helps them reclaim parts of themselves they thought were gone for good.
The part that matters most is that this isn’t recreational for them. This isn’t a luxury. This is healthcare. This is dignity. This is someone being able to walk into the world without feeling at war with their own mind.
No Veteran should ever be priced out of that.
Free Access Isn’t Charity, It’s Responsibility
Veterans have already paid the highest cost. They’ve already carried the weight, physically, mentally, and in ways most people never see. Expecting them to shoulder another cost just to access a medicine that helps them get through the day doesn’t sit right with me.
If we believe that supporting veterans goes beyond bumper stickers and holidays, then we need to build systems that make healing accessible. That means removing financial barriers. It means expanding doctor networks so every veteran, in every state, has a pathway to medical cannabis. It means treating cannabis not as a privilege, but as essential care for the people who need it most.
I’m currently working to build a nationwide system that does exactly that: a doctor network dedicated to evaluating veterans at no cost to them. It shouldn’t take individual advocates filling the gaps with duct tape and urgency, but until policy catches up, we’re going to keep showing up.
When you sit with enough veterans, hear enough stories, see enough pain that could have been prevented, you stop asking whether this should be free, and you start asking why it wasn’t free in the first place.
Veterans Deserve More Than Gratitude
This isn’t a political issue. It comes down to simple humanity. We either choose to look after the people who carried the heaviest load for this country, or we look away. When a Veteran asks for help, the door shouldn’t be half-open; it should be wide open. They shouldn’t have to ration relief. They shouldn’t have to sink deeper into suffering because the paperwork costs too much.
The next step is straightforward: take the cost out of the equation so veterans can actually reach the medicine that helps them and be committed to pushing for that every day.
Veterans showed up for all of us. It’s long past time we show up for them.
About the Author
Robb Harmon is a pioneer in Florida’s medical cannabis space and a longtime advocate for patient access, especially for U.S. Veterans. He is the Founder of Veterans Cannabis Care and President of Marijuana Express M.D., where he has spent more than seven years helping over 8,000 patients navigate Florida’s medical cannabis program. A cornerstone of his work includes providing 100% free medical cannabis certifications to 900 Veterans, with plans underway to expand this initiative nationwide. Known for blending entrepreneurial leadership with patient-first ethics, Robb brings both business acumen and deep compassion to his mission of ensuring equitable access to medical cannabis.
