A key Senate panel has for the first time advanced a bill that would make the Department of Veterans Affairs research marijuana as a treatment for chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee voted in a closed-door session Thursday to advance the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act, which directs the department to conduct a “large scale” observational study and possibly a clinical trial on the effects of marijuana use on veterans’ health.

“Our nation’s veterans deserve options when it comes to treating the wounds of war, which is why VA needs to have a better understanding of how medicinal cannabis plays a role in their healing,” Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester, D-Mont., said in a statement this month when he introduced the bill. “Our bipartisan bill ensures VA is listening to the growing number of veterans who find critical relief from alternative treatments like medicinal cannabis, while working to empower veterans in making safe and informed decisions about their health.”

The Senate version is co-sponsored by Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska. An identical bill was also introduced in the House this week by Reps. Lou Correa, D-Calif., and Jack Bergman, R-Mich., a retired Marine Corps officer.