Jason Sweatt

is SC Veterans Alliance, Inc.’s (SCVA) Founder and Director. Jason enlisted in the United States Army at 19 years of age and served seven years on active duty with three years in the Army Reserves. He served at many posts to include Ft. Irwin, CA (National Training Facility) and the Republic of South Korea to name a few.

In 2004 while serving with the 411th Combat Engineer Battalion at Ft. Shafter Flats, HI he and his unit were called to active duty in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II (OIF II). Later that year he and his unit deployed to Camp Victory outside Baghdad, Iraq. After completing his assignment in 2006 and honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant, he attended Hawaii Pacific University to complete his Bachelors in Business Administration with a focus on Entrepreneurial Studies in 2007.

In 2009, Jason moved to Santa Cruz, CA to pursue a career in the medical cannabis industry after he found relief from using medical cannabis for his post war related issues. He and Aaron Newsom met in 2011 and founded SC Veterans Alliance where he has been the Director since its formation.

 

Aaron Newsom

is SCVA’s co-Founder and Director of Cultivation. Aaron is a United States Marine Corps combat veteran. He served in Afghanistan in 2004-2005 where he worked with an attack helicopter squadron on multiple forward operating bases in the eastern part of the country. He was honorably discharged in March of 2008.

Once out of the military Aaron went back to school in joined other veteran advocates in fighting for veterans rights. In 2013 he finished a degree in Horticultural Crop Production and began working with veterans and cannabis. His passion lies in the therapeutic value of growing cannabis and its medicinal ability to help reduce pharmaceutical dependence, specifically in veterans with service related ailments.

With almost a decade of cultivation experience Aaron has developed many cannabis cultivars specific to certain medical needs, such as chronic pain, nausea, sleeplessness, and symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress. With an intention to create real medicine he has created a system of protocols that allows for the cleanest most effective medicine to be grown and manufactured.

Aaron received his AS in Organic Agriculture from Cabrillo College.

 

Seth Smith

is SCVA’s Director of Communications and Government Affairs. He served in the US Navy from 2002-08 as a cryptologic interpreter and airborne mission supervisor. Seth worked closely with US, British, Australian and other coalition partners to provide real-time intelligence to warfighters and strategic planners in support of OIF and OEF. He was honorably discharged in 2008.

Seth joined SCVA to help the organization navigate the process of entering the regulated market while continuing to advocate for veteran access to medicinal cannabis as an alternative treatment at the local and national level. Prior to joining SCVA, Seth worked in the entertainment industry with Participant Media

Seth is a graduate of UCLA and he received his master’s degree in International and Public Affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton.

 

Veteran Farmers

At SCVA, we not only cultivate for clean, consistent, medical grade cannabis, we also practice horticultural therapy. The calming influence of a plant-rich environment has been transformed into a therapeutic tool.

Horticulture Therapy was historically used with servicemen returning from World War I and II as an opportunity for healing, stress reduction, exercise, and learning. Bringing a veteran into the cannabis garden teaches them a new skill, gives them community, allows them to know their medicine, and provides a peaceful environment.

Veteran farmers bring the skills the learned in the military to our gardens. Attention to detail, problem solving, and integrity are just a few of those skills and are the basis for the SCVA motto, Grown with Honor.