Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), along with 15 other co-sponsors, have reintroduced the Veterans Equal Access Act. This bipartisan legislation expands and facilitates medical cannabis access to military veterans suffering from chronic pain, PTSD, and other serious medical conditions by allowing physicians affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs to recommend cannabis in compliance with state laws.
Presently, healthcare providers in the VA system are forbidden from making cannabis recommendations, even in states where cannabis is legal for medical use. This prohibition forces many military veterans to seek the advice of private, and often expensive, out-of-network physicians.
Please tell your Representatives to support this legislation today.
Veterans are increasingly turning to medical cannabis as an effective alternative to opioids and other conventional medications. A study published in March 2023 showed that one in ten veterans 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.
