VA - Blumenauer Joyce Lee Urge Biden Admin To Annul VA Directive Prohibiting Doctors From Recommending Medical Marijuana To Veterans | Benzinga
Three bipartisan congressional lawmakers are urging the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to reconsider its directive constraining VA doctors from helping veterans access medical marijuana in states where it is legal.
What happened: Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D), founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, alongside Congressman Dave Joyce (R) and Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D), sent a letter to Thursday to VA Secretary Denis McDonough calling for more actions "to ease the VA's antiquated marijuana restrictions rooted in the racist drug policy."
The letter comes after the lawmakers, along with Representative and an Afghanistan War veteran Brian Mast (R), successfully passed an amendment to the House VA funding package to prohibit federal funds from being used to enforce VA restrictions on medical cannabis.
Under the current federal law, VA doctors are not allowed to recommend veterans to participate in state-legal medical marijuana programs.
Why it matters: "Without their VA provider's honest recommendations and option to provide referrals and registration forms, veterans are left to seek care outside of the VA system to participate in state-legal medical ...