When we think of Veterans Day, we often focus on the physical service for our country—the time, the family strain, the stress, the sacrifices.d However, much of what veterans deal with occurs when they return home from duty and mental health and substance use issues surface. These are the scars that remain invisible, but ever present.

According to the Boulder Crest Foundation, which treats veterans and educates about the topic of post-traumatic growth, at least 30 percent of combat veterans and first responders are suffering in silence with a range of mental health challenges. Additional research indicates that the 14 percent of veterans who meet criteria for cannabis use disorder have three times the odds of self-injury. Post-traumatic stress disorder is one of the only mental health conditions for which medical marijuana is approved. The veteran suicide rate is alarming. In 2020, 6,146 veterans died by suicide, averaging about 16.8 veterans per day. About one in three veterans with a mental illness experienced serious mental illness (SMI). More than one in 10 veterans are diagnosed with a substance use........

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