Today is National Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Day and it’s an opportunity to both highlight the resources available, and ensure those who are suffering know that they are not alone. When service members return from the battlefield, too often they fight not just physical wounds but invisible wounds as well.
According to data from 2022, the suicide rate for male veterans was 44 percent higher than male non-veterans and the Wounded Warrior Project reported nearly 1 in 4 post-9/11 veterans live with symptoms of PTSD. They are our neighbors, parents, and spouses.
We are failing those that put everything on the line to protect our community, and it’s the least the VA and Congress can do to make sure we use every tool at our disposal to address this epidemic.
As a soldier myself, I know far too many men and women who face a difficult transition from service to civilian life. That’s why I introduced bills like the Veterans Equal Access Act, which would make it easier for qualified veterans to access medical marijuana in states where it is legal – like here in Florida.
