“This decision by leadership is a disservice to both veterans, many of whom desire medical cannabis access, and their doctors, many of whom want to facilitate their patients’ access to these state-regulated products.”
Topic: Veterans
Members of Congress must still reconcile the language of the two bills, a process that will likely take place in conference committee later this year.
Under federal law, VA-affiliated doctors are forbidden from authorizing veterans to use medical cannabis, even if they live in jurisdictions where the substance is legal.
“While alcohol use appears to perpetuate a reinforcing cycle of stress and poor sleep, cannabis use may offer short-term stress relief and perceived sleep benefits,” investigators determined.
Respondents were most likely to report using cannabis to manage pain or mobility (81 percent), sleep (62 percent), PTSD or anxiety (43 percent), stress (43 percent), and depression (29 percent).
Ninety-one percent of military veterans surveyed said that “medicinal cannabis treatment helped them to experience a greater quality of life.”
All but eight GOP members voted against the bill’s advancement, assuring that it would not meet the 60 vote threshold necessary to move forward under Senate rules.
“Our findings … point toward a need for enhanced care coordination among veterans who may benefit from marijuana, but are unable to access it through the VA,” authors concluded.