A Senate committee is urging the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to explore medical marijuana as an alternative to opioids for veterans, and it’s also asking the agency to consider allowing its doctors to formally recommend cannabis to their patients in light of the Biden administration’s rescheduling push.
In a series of reports attached to spending bills that moved through the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday, lawmakers included a variety of marijuana, psychedelics and hemp sections—including a directive for VA to account for a little-known policy that blocks veterans from receiving GI benefits for educational courses aimed at preparing them to participate in the cannabis industry.
The appropriations legislation was approved by the Senate panel just days after a GOP-led House committee passed its versions, with reports that include sections critical of the marijuana rescheduling move and raising concerns about impaired driving and intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoids.
For the Senate’s Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilConVA) spending bill, however, the attached report notably urges VA to conduct a study on the medical marijuana as a possible opioid alternative and report back with findings within one year of enactment.
“Reducing Opioid Use Through Medical Marijuana.—The Committee encourages VA to
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