Today on Alternative Talk our host Bear Syvong is joined by Socrates Rosenfeld. From his service as an Apache helicopter commander in the U.S. Army, to developing the cannabis industry’s first complete end-to-end marketplace helping local dispensaries compete on a level playing field, to advocating for safer alternatives to opioids for treatment of post traumatic stress Socrates Rosenfeld had always wanted to do two things – help people and immerse himself in the most challenging environments he could find. After operating at consistently challenging levels both mentally and physically throughout his seven years in the Army, transitioning back to civilian life in his hometown of Newton, Massachusetts, Socrates found it challenging to find peace for himself. He felt isolated from the people that he loved most and struggled to connect. It wasn’t until he turned 29 that his wife offered him an option he had been conditioned to oppose due to years in the military and social stigma;, Socrates was introduced to cannabis and it profoundly impacted him physically, mentally and spiritually. Cannabis allowed him to maintain presence in stressful moments and view himself with self-empathy and non-judgment. He wasn’t alone; he had come across countless fellow veterans who were struggling in civilian life, but were not comfortable with trying cannabis for similar reasons that had stopped him in the past: the stigma, the lack of education and limited access to safe and regulated cannabis.