A pair of bipartisan House members have filed a bill to direct the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out studies into the therapeutic potential of marijuana for military veterans with certain conditions.
Reps. Lou Correa (D-CA) and Jack Bergman (R-MI) introduced the legislation on Tuesday, about a week after Sens. Jon Tester (D) and Dan Sullivan (R) filed a companion version in their chamber.
That Senate measure is scheduled to be taken up in the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, which Tester chairs, on Thursday.
Under the proposal, VA would be tasked with conducting studies that explore the effects of cannabis for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic pain.
“With the opioid crisis raging across America, it is imperative to the health and safety of our veterans that we find alternative treatments for chronic pain and service-related injuries,” Correa, who has consistently carried earlier iterations of the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act, said in a press release.
I’ve met thousands of veterans in Orange County who depend on cannabis to manage their pain. It’s past time the VA study and recognize the role cannabis can play in veterans’ healthcare.
Honored to work across the aisle with
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