Veteran suicide remains one of America’s most tragic and underaddressed crises. Despite billions in funding and decades of institutional efforts, as many as 22 veterans die by suicide each day—perhaps more. For Janae Sergio, a Navy combat veteran and Director of Development at the Grunt Style Foundation, the issue is personal. And it’s why she is taking a public stand in defense of hemp-derived products, a controversial but increasingly essential tool in the fight for mental health for many veterans.
“I was in a mental health crisis last year,” Sergio recalled in a recent interview. “I went to the VA, asked for help, and they gave me antidepressants. No individualized care, no follow-up. Just a pill and go away.”
The experience—and what followed—changed everything for her. Instead of relying on medications that she says made her lethargic and dissociated, Sergio turned to legal hemp-derived consumables, specifically Delta-9 THC products, to manage anxiety and regain mental clarity. The result, she says, was immediate and lifesaving.
“I could feel a calmness come over me within seconds,” she said. “It gave me the pause I needed—to breathe, to rest, and to come back with a clear mind and focus.”
Her clarity has turned into advocacy. Today, Sergio is one of the loudest voices opposing SB 5 in Texas, a bill that would ban many hemp-derived products. According to Sergio, the ban may result in more deaths among the 1.4 million veterans living in Texas.
“The VA spends $3 billion a year on suicide prevention,” she said, “and yet the suicide rate hasn’t gone down.” Whatever the VA is doing, Sergio points out, “It’s not working.”
Part of the problem, she argues, is the widespread overprescription of SSRIs and antidepressants to veterans. “These drugs can have 3 to 4 times the rate of suicidal ideation compared to before treatment,” she said. “And many veterans enter the VA with physical pain, only to be funneled into behavioral health and handed a prescription.”
What’s worse, she explains, is that titrating off those medications can make suicidal thoughts worse, not better. The system not only fails to treat the root of the issue—it may be making things worse.
Sergio emphasizes that veterans need individualized care and access to a broad range of healing modalities, including—but not limited to—hemp. “We represent over 79,000 veterans nationwide,” she said. “And I can tell you, this stuff helps. It doesn’t cure PTSD, but it brings us back from the edge.”
She’s not alone. On the day she testified against SB 3—an earlier version of the same hemp ban—another veteran, Mark Miller, took his life outside the Audie Murphy VA hospital in San Antonio. “He did it in protest of overprescribing,” she said. “People need to understand; this is personal.”
Sergio also points out the frustration with lawmakers who support veteran-centric studies—such as a $50 million ibogaine research initiative passed last session—but ignore veteran testimony when it comes to cannabis policy. “We’re being heard,” she said. “But we’re also being ignored. Sometimes even gaslit.”
Senator Charles Perry, the sponsor of SB 5, recently claimed that a third of veteran suicides involve cannabis use disorders—a claim Sergio says is baseless and offensive. “How is that even tracked?” she asked. “Texas doesn’t even track veteran suicides in a meaningful way. So where are these numbers coming from?”
The barriers to accessing alternatives like the Texas Compassionate Use Program (TCUP) are also steep. Sergio described the program as “convoluted” and “cost-prohibitive,” requiring referrals, risking job security, and in some cases threatening veterans’ Second Amendment rights. Many veterans, she said, choose not to enroll simply because of the perceived consequences.
“We’ve been conditioned to believe we’ll lose everything,” she said.
In contrast, hemp-derived consumables are legal, accessible, and for many, effective. Sergio argues that banning them would only drive vulnerable veterans into the black market, where products are unregulated and potentially dangerous.
Instead of bans, she advocates for regulations such as age restrictions, potency controls, and better labeling. “Synthetic products like K2 are already illegal,” she said. “We should focus on keeping those out of the market—not removing something that’s helping veterans stay alive.”
Sergio’s message isn’t that hemp is a silver bullet. Rather, she says it’s a lifeline—a bridge between despair and stability in moments when the system falls short. The Grunt Style Foundation also promotes holistic alternatives like equine therapy and even beekeeping, aiming to replace alcohol dependence with healing communities.
“When I drink alcohol, it makes me paranoid. It gives me the courage to make permanent decisions to temporary problems,” she said. “Hemp calms me. It keeps me alive.”
Sergio believes testimony before the legislature be her and others can help fellow veterans be willing to also speak up. “We’re not just fighting for freedom overseas anymore,” she said. “We’re fighting for it here.”