Bipartisan legislation was reintroduced in the U.S. Senate on Feb. 9 that pushes the Department of Veterans Affairs to conduct research on the health effects of medicinal cannabis for veterans experiencing chronic pain and symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Introduced by Sen.s Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act authorizes VA to implement a comprehensive research plan, including a series of clinical trials that assess the effectiveness of medicinal cannabis for the treatment of chronic pain and/or PTSD.
“Our bipartisan bill ensures VA is listening to the growing number of veterans who find critical relief from alternative treatments like medicinal cannabis while working to empower veterans in making safe and informed decisions about their health,” Tester said in a statement.
With regulatory approval, VA scientists may conduct research on the benefits and risks of marijuana, but the department does not pay for medical marijuana prescriptions from any source.
The legislation also expands cannabis research into other factors related to veterans’ health, including improvements to mood and/or social functioning, impacts on other substance use, and changes to overall quality of life.
“Medicinal cannabis is already in use by thousands of veterans across the country, but we don’t yet have the data we need to understand the potential benefits and side effects associated with this alternative therapy,” said Sullivan in a statement.
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It additionally requires clinical trials to examine the effects of different forms, potencies, and methods of cannabis administration while ensuring veterans’ health and safety is put first and foremost throughout the research.
A number of Veterans Service Organizations have expressed support for the legislation, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
“VA uses evidence-based clinical guidelines to manage other pharmacological treatments of post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain, and substance use disorder because medical trials have found them effective,” said VFW National Legislative Service Director Pat Murray. “VA must expand research on the efficacy of non-traditional medical therapies, such as medicinal cannabis and other holistic approaches.”
IAVA CEO Jeremy Butler said his organization has made it one of its top priorities to empower veterans who are calling for the medicinal use of cannabis since 2017.
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“Eighty-eight percent of IAVA members support the research of cannabis for medicinal purposes and veterans consistently and passionately have communicated that cannabis offers effective help in tackling some of the most pressing injuries we face when returning from war,” he said.
A veterans cannabis research bill is sponsored in the House by Reps. Lou Correa (D-CA) and Peter Meijer (R-MI).
Read Tester and Sullivan’s bill here.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.