Socrates Rosenfeld
The subject of stereotypes looms large over any conversation about marijuana. For decades, cannabis users have been stigmatized as lazy burnouts, dangerous criminals and societal outcasts.
Socrates Rosenfeld puts that notion to rest. A 2004 graduate of West Point who completed Ranger training, Rosenfeld became an Apache helicopter commander for the Army and served in Iraq. Then, after leaving active duty in 2011, he earned his MBA from one of the most prestigious schools in the country — MIT.
Veterans in the Industry
As Marijuana Venture celebrates its four-year anniversary with this issue, we profile nine veterans who have made their mark not only in their service to this great country, but also in the cannabis industry. It’s safe to say that not everybody in the marijuana business is a consumer. But stories like these highlight the outrageousness of Jeff Sessions’ infamous statement that “good people don’t smoke marijuana.”
The following article is from the March 2018 issue of Marijuana Venture, © 2018 Marijuana Venture.
But like so many soldiers, Rosenfeld had a hard time transitioning from life in the military to that of a civilian. The shift to go from combat to the classroom was intense. He wasn’t diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, but something wasn’t right. He felt isolated and struggled to be at peace with himself.
His wife suggested cannabis; he’d never tried it and never really considered it an option.
“I did it once and it literally changed my life. It changed the course of my life forever,” Rosenfeld says. “It brought me a sense of connection to both myself and to my loved ones that I didn’t have for so long. It brought me a sense of balance and wellbeing and allowed me to connect with myself outside of a military uniform. When you go through a process like that you can really uncover what you love and what you are passionate about.”
That passion led him to become the co-founder and CEO of Jane Technologies, an online marketplace that connects cannabis retailers with consumers. But his time as a student, prior to Massachusetts implementing its medical marijuana program, highlighted the hypocrisy of U.S. law.
Just like thousands of other veterans across the country — revered for their service, yet often disregarded in their own time of need — Rosenfeld, the model citizen, MIT student and former Army captain, turned to the black market.
“There I was, a 30-year-old military veteran,” Rosenfeld says, “and I was forced to go meet some guy in a parking lot to get my medicine.”
He quickly discovered he wasn’t alone. Many of his brothers in arms were turning to cannabis to treat PTSD symptoms or as a safer alternative to opioid painkillers. He started working on Jane full-time in 2015, developing a platform that transforms retailers’ existing point-of-sale system into turnkey digital storefronts.
His own experience notwithstanding, Rosenfeld says many current military members see marijuana reform as an “absolute necessity,” not because cannabis is a cure-all, but because “there are so many veterans who find healing in this product.”