Bill Would Allow VA Docs to Recommend MMJ

A bill introduced in Congress by representatives from California and Oregon with 10 bipartisan co-sponsors would allow Veterans Affairs doctors to recommend medical marijuana for veterans in states where it’s legal.

Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) introduced the Veterans Equal Access Act, which would lift a ban that prevents VA doctors from giving opinions or recommendations about the use of medical cannabis, the Huffington Post reported.

Expanding recommendation authority to VA physicians could lead to significantly higher numbers of patients turning to dispensaries for legally-accessed cannabis treatments.

A study approved by federal health officials earlier this year examined the effects of smoked or vaporized cannabis on 50 veterans suffering from PTSD, but the government’s sole provider of medical-grade marijuana didn’t have the proper strains for research to begin, the Huffington Post said. Its lead scientist was then fired from the University of Arizona where the research would’ve taken place, putting the study in further peril, according to the report.