According to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs, former military service members are more than twice as likely to die by suicide than civilians. After returning to life at home, veterans are often beset by psychiatric conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, as well as painful physical injuries — and they’re frequently prescribed large quantities of pharmaceuticals to cope with such ailments. These cocktails of drugs are increasingly leading to overmedication and severe side effects, including even further deterioration of mental and physical health.

But this group of veterans isn’t giving up the fight! Join Healing Powers host Mareesa Stertz as she meets members of the Weed for Warriors Project in Los Angeles, who are leading the charge to expand legal cannabis access to former soldiers as an healthier alternative to relying on prescription pills. These courageous individuals are attaining more functional and fulfilling lives for themselves and their families through the help of medical marijuana, and they’re not settling for what the government is willing to offer. Through activism and solidarity, these warriors are changing the conversation around the lives of veterans, while illustrating how cannabis could help end a cycle of avoidable pain and death.

Check out their journey to better health in Episode One of Healing Powers now, and peep the trailer for the rest of the series below, with new episodes dropping here every Thursday through September 20th: