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A pair of Republican lawmakers on Friday introduced a congressional bill meant to promote research into the medical potential of marijuana for military veterans.<\/p>\n
This is the latest piece of legislation focused on cannabis and veterans that\u2019s been filed this Congress. It comes one day after a bipartisan Senate bill was introduced\u2014and on the same day that House members filed companion legislation\u2014to require the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to conduct clinical trials into marijuana<\/a> for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic pain in the population.<\/p>\n Similarly, the new proposal from Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) and Nancy Mace (R-SC) would give VA a research mandate. The Veterans Cannabis Analysis, Research, and Effectiveness (CARE) Act states that the department \u201cshall conduct and support research relating to the efficacy and safety of forms of cannabis\u201d for chronic pain, PTSD and \u201cother conditions the Secretary determines appropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n We need to give veterans and their doctors more access to effective treatments, not fewer. #IA02<\/a> <\/p>\n Today I am introducing the Veterans CARE Act with @RepNancyMace<\/a>, to allow the VA to research the effectiveness of using medical cannabis for chronic pain.https:\/\/t.co\/hJQ3aZwUBL<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, M.D. (@RepMMM) April 30, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n \u201cFor too long, veterans with mental or physical ailments have either gone untreated or have been prescribed addictive prescription medication that have caused their health to further deteriorate,\u201d Miller-Meeks said in a press release. \u201cWe need to give veterans and their doctors more access to effective treatments, not fewer.\u201d<\/p>\n The legislation specifies that the studies must involve plants and extracts, at least three varieties of cannabis with different concentrations of THC and CBD and \u201cvarying methods of cannabis delivery, including topical application, combustable and non-combustable inhalation, and ingestion.\u201d<\/p>\n VA would first have to submit a research plan to House and Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committees and make any requests to support the studies. Over the course of five years after the bill is enacted, VA must send annual reports on its progress to the panels.<\/p>\n Too many of our veterans quietly suffer from the burden of the terrifying experiences they’ve endured. An average of 17 vets die of PTSD-related suicide daily.<\/p>\n We must explore anything which may help them overcome their trauma, including medical cannabis. https:\/\/t.co\/pTlnSavw0Y<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/WT19ET4I2A<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) April 30, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n \u201cMany of our veterans face an invisible, life-long struggle to come to terms with horrifying experiences they endured while protecting the rest of us. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder can impact every aspect of one\u2019s life, and sadly the current treatments can lead to even greater problems for veterans,\u201d Mace said. \u201cMedical cannabis offers another valuable tool for doctors working to help our vets overcome PTSD. To ignore this potential would be a disservice to veterans and their sacrifices for our nation.\u201d<\/p>\n The other veterans-focused marijuana legislation that was introduced in the Senate on Thursday\u2014the VA Medical Cannabis Research Act\u2014explicitly mandates that VA launch a series of clinical trials on medical marijuana for PTSD and chronic pain.<\/p>\n When it comes to the chronic pain trials, the agency would have to look at the impact of marijuana consumption on osteopathic pain, opioid use and dosage, benzodiazepine use and dosage, alcohol use, inflammation, sleep quality, agitation and quality of life.<\/p>\n For the PTSD-specific studies, VA would examine the extent to which cannabis affects basic symptoms of the condition, the use and dosage of benzodiazepines, alcohol use, mood, anxiety, social functioning, agitation, suicidal ideation and sleep quality.<\/p>\n A separate House companion to that Senate bill was also filed on Friday by Reps. Lou Correa (D-CA) and Peter Meijer (R-MI).<\/p>\n Thank you to @RepMeijer<\/a> (R-MI) @SenatorTester<\/a> (D-MT) & @SenDanSullivan<\/a> (R-AK). <\/p>\n Today we introduced the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act. <\/p>\n With the opioid crisis raging it\u2019s crucial we find alternative treatments for PTSD & service-related injuries. We must help our veterans.<\/p>\n \u2014 Rep. Lou Correa (@RepLouCorrea) April 30, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Last year, the House Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee\u00a0approved the VA Medical Cannabis Research Act<\/a>, as well as a separate proposal to allow VA doctors to issue medical cannabis recommendations to their patients in states where it\u2019s legal, but they did not advance to the floor.<\/p>\n \u2014 Earlier this month, a bipartisan coalition of congressional lawmakers reintroduced bills that would\u00a0federally legalize medical cannabis for military veterans<\/a>.<\/p>\n That bill is being sponsored by Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Dave Joyce (R-OH), both co-chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, in the House, along with nine other original cosponsors. On the Senate side, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) is leading the proposal, and he\u2019s joined by five other lawmakers, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).<\/p>\n The Veterans Medical Marijuana Safe Harbor Act would temporarily allow veterans to legally possess and use cannabis under federal law, as recommended by doctors in accordance with state law. Physicians with VA would also be allowed for the first time to issue such recommendations. Further, it would require VA to study the therapeutic potential of marijuana for pain and reducing opioid misuse.<\/p>\n The House and Senate have both previously approved annual spending bills containing riders blocking VA from punishing doctors for writing medical marijuana recommendations, but no such legislation has yet been enacted into law.<\/p>\n Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) in January introduced a proposal aimed at ensuring that\u00a0military veterans aren\u2019t penalized for using medical cannabis<\/a>\u00a0in compliance with state law. It would also codify that VA doctors are allowed to discuss the risks and benefits of marijuana with their patients.<\/p>\n VA doctors are currently permitted to discuss cannabis with patients and document their usage in medical records, and those veteran patients are already shielded by agency policy from losing their benefits for marijuana use\u2014but the bill would enshrine those policies\u00a0into federal statute so they could not be administratively changed in the future.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, congressional leaders are working to end federal marijuana prohibition altogether.<\/p>\n Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) are in the process of crafting a comprehensive legalization bill, and Schumer said it\u00a0would be placed on the floor \u201csoon.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n On the House side, Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) said recently that he\u00a0plans to reintroduced his legalization bill<\/a>, the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, which cleared the chamber last year but did not advance in the Senate under GOP control.<\/p>\n Read the new marijuana research bill for veterans below:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Veterans CARE Act<\/a> by Marijuana Moment<\/a><\/p>\n Rhode Island Lawmakers Debate How\u2014Not Whether\u2014To Legalize Marijuana At Hearing On Governor\u2019s Plan<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n The post GOP Lawmakers File Another Marijuana Research Bill For Military Veterans<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
A pair of Republican lawmakers on Friday introduced a congressional bill meant to promote research into the medical potential of marijuana for military veterans. This is the latest piece of legislation focused on cannabis and veterans that\u2019s been filed this Congress. It comes one day after a bipartisan Senate billContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":47426,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47425"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47425"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47425\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47427,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47425\/revisions\/47427"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47426"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: GOP Lawmakers File Another Marijuana Research Bill For Military Veterans<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"