Washington, DC: Federal lawmakers finalized and approved military funding legislation upholding federal rules barring VA doctors from recommending medical cannabis to veterans. The MilCon (Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies) appropriations bill is one of three separate funding bills that were included in a package to reopen the government until January 30, 2026.
Initial versions of the bill previously approved by the House and Senate included language repealing the longstanding ban. That language would have, for the first time, permitted VA doctors to explicitly issue medical cannabis authorizations in jurisdictions where it is legal to do so. However, leadership elected to remove those provisions in conference committee.
In 2018, Congressional leadership removed similar provisions from the military spending bill at the eleventh hour.
According to polling data provided earlier this year, most military veterans and their family members believe that the Department of Veterans Affairs should provide medical cannabis treatment to eligible patients. Seventy-five percent of veterans say that they “would be interested in using cannabis or cannabinoid products as a treatment option if it were available.”
NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano criticized lawmakers’ decision to continue this federal prohibition. “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,” he said. “Many veterans suffer from chronic pain, post-traumatic stress, and sleep disturbances – conditions that can be effectively treated with medical cannabis. Reducing barriers so that more veterans can participate in state-legal medical marijuana programs will improve lives and ensure that these patients are securing lab-tested cannabis products from state-licensed facilities rather than from the unregulated market.”
NORML’s action alert calling on the federal government to facilitate veterans’ access to medical cannabis is available in NORML’s Take Action Center.