The bills would allow VA doctors to recommend medical marijuana prescriptions to patients while another would kickstart veteran-related cannabis research. A pair of key bills that could expand veterans’ access to medical marijuana passed in a House Committee this week. One piece of legislation would allow Veteran Affairs doctors to recommend medical marijuana prescriptions in […]
veterans marijuana
House committee advances medical marijuana bills for veterans
The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee on Thursday advanced two bills related to medical marijuana use for veterans. The first measure, sponsored by Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.), would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to research the effects of medical-grade marijuana on the health outcomes of veterans with conditions like chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). […]
Florida lawmakers want to give veterans medical marijuana cards for free
With data continuing to roll in that underscores the health benefits of cannabis, two Florida legislators aren’t waiting for clarity in the national policy debates and are sponsoring bills designed to give medical marijuana cards to military veterans free of charge. Last week, the Journal of Psychopharmacology added yet another study to the growing body of […]
VA under pressure to ease medical marijuana rules
© Getty Images, The Hill photo illustration The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is under pressure to ease restrictions on veterans’ access to medical marijuana to help treat pain and other ailments. Veterans advocacy groups want to know if marijuana can treat chronic pain, as well as help address widespread suicides among veteran communities. While […]
Veterans urge Congress, VA to catch up on expanding access to medical marijuana
When he was deployed to Iraq in 2005, Army Sgt. E-5 Steven Acheson was assigned to the security detail of a high-ranking officer, driving a Humvee over IED-infested roads on more than 400 missions, as the violent insurgency tore the country apart. During his deployment, he suffered an accident that left him with a herniated […]
Moulton legislation would push VA on medical marijuana for veterans
Millions of American military veterans — more than one in five, according to an American Legion survey — use marijuana to treat a medical ailment. But many of those veterans say the Department of Veterans Affairs, which provides health care to former servicemembers, isn’t responsive to their needs. Citing the federal prohibition on cannabis, the VA has […]
V.A. Shuns Medical Marijuana, Leaving Vets to Improvise
Some of the local growers along the coast here see it as an act of medical compassion: Donating part of their crop of high-potency medical marijuana to ailing veterans, who line up by the dozens each month in the echoing auditorium of the city’s old veterans’ hall to get a ticket they can exchange for […]
Veterans Left Off Medical Marijuana Protections Bill
When Sens. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) introduced legislation this month to restrain the federal government from interfering with state-legal cannabis consumption and commerce, they galvanized an all-too-rare level of bipartisan, bicameral support. Notably missing from the voices of support for their bill are America’s veterans. While the States Act would provide vital protection from federal criminal […]
Veterans Show Overwhelming Support for Medical Marijuana in Recent Survey
Veterans tend to be an older, more conservative group, but that doesn’t stop them from advocating for a radical change in direction from the nation’s outdated policies on marijuana. The American Legion, represents many conservative veterans, but that doesn’t stop it from taking progressive positions on certain key issues. A survey released Thursday by the American […]
Bill Would Allow Medical Marijuana Access to All Veterans in New Mexico
A Senate committee voted Wednesday in favor of a bill that would make changes to New Mexico’s Medical Cannabis Program, but some lawmakers were troubled by a section that would allow veterans to enroll without being diagnosed with a qualifying medical condition. One state senator who voted in favor of the measure said he might […]
