Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), with 15 co-sponsors, reintroduced the Veterans Equal Access Act, reports NORML.
This bipartisan legislation expands and facilitates medical marijuana access to military veterans with chronic pain, PTSD, and other medical conditions. It allows physicians affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs to recommend Cannabis in compliance with state laws.
Presently, federal rules prohibit healthcare providers in the VA system from making cannabis recommendations. This is unfortunately true even in states where marijuana is legal for medical use. This prohibition forces many former personnel to seek the advice of private — and often expensive — out-of-network physicians.
NORML offers this link to tell your Representatives in Congress to support this legislation today.
Veterans are increasingly turning to medical marijuana as an effective alternative to opioids and other conventional medications. A study published in March 2023 showed one in 10 reported consuming cannabis at least once in the past year.
Further, nationwide survey data compiled by the group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America finds that 75 percent of military veterans “would be interested in using cannabis or cannabinoid products as a treatment option if it were available.”
With medical cannabis legal in 38 states, the VA should not stand in the way of veterans obtaining the treatment and relief they need, NORML points out.
