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The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) under the Biden administration says it continues to oppose a bill that would require it to conduct clinical trials into the therapeutic potential of marijuana for military veterans.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s despite the fact that multiple veterans service organizations such as the American Legion and Disabled American Veterans are voicing support for the proposal.<\/p>\n
At a hearing before the House Veterans\u2019 Affairs Health Subcommittee<\/a> on Wednesday, a VA representative discussed numerous pieces of veterans-related legislation that members were considering. Rep. Lou Correa\u2019s (D-CA) VA Cannabis Research Act was among those that the department said it does not support.<\/p>\n The bill, earlier versions of which cleared the full House Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee in 2020 and 2018, would mandate that VA launch a series of clinical trials on using medical marijuana<\/a> to treat PTSD and chronic pain.<\/p>\n Correa told colleagues in his testimony that he has worked closely with veterans since the time he served as a state lawmaker.<\/p>\n \u201cIn my role, I met and worked with veterans struggling with their invisible wounds of war,\u201d he said. \u201cThey explained to me that they didn\u2019t like being prescribed opioids and other medications. They wanted to be able to access cannabis to ease their pain without the same side effects or addictive properties of opioids. When I came to Congress, I wanted to continue my work to provide our veterans with the treatments they want.\u201d<\/p>\n He said that his proposal is \u201ca pragmatic and bipartisan piece of legislation that would advance our understanding of the impacts of medicinal cannabis usage and could improve the lives of veterans and other Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n Opioids shouldn’t be the only pain treatment option for veterans struggling with PTSD and chronic pain. We need to pass the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act to explore how #cannabis<\/a> can provide a safe, effective alternative.<\/p>\n \u2014 Rep. Lou Correa (@RepLouCorrea) October 13, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n In its own testimony, however, VA said that while it isn\u2019t ideologically opposed to the measure, it views it as \u201credundant\u201d and excessively prescriptive.<\/p>\n \u201cThe proposed legislation is not consistent with VA\u2019s practice of ensuring scientific merit as the basis for a randomized clinical trial,\u201d VA\u2019s David Carroll said in testimony<\/a> before the subcommittee.<\/p>\n The VA official argued that any clinical trials involving human subjects that carriers potential risks must use the \u201csmallest number of participants needed to avoid unnecessarily putting subjects at risk.\u201d And as far as marijuana is concerned, some effects \u201care not known, thus a circumscribed approach to determine dose, administration modality and best outcome measure must be shown in a proof-of-concept approach to ensure the validity of the research.\u201d<\/p>\n Additionally, Carroll said certain requirements stipulated in the bill such as studying seven different cannabis varieties is \u201cnot consistent with the current state of scientific evidence, which suggests that smaller, early phase, controlled clinical trials with a focused set of specific aims are optimal to determine proof of concept for using cannabis to treat specific conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n He argued that there would need to be a \u201cspecific rationale\u201d for studying each variety, saying that \u201cprogress in cannabis research must start with a scientific query of what is already known for specific diagnostic categories of interest, then moving to next level clinical investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n And what\u2019s more, VA is \u201calready dedicating resources and research expertise to study the effects of cannabis on conditions affecting veterans,\u201d Carroll said\u2014though advocates and key lawmakers don\u2019t view those ongoing studies as sufficient.<\/p>\n Subcommittee Chairwoman Julia Brownley (D-CA) said in her opening remarks at the hearing that the bill would at \u201clong last\u201d direct VA to conduct \u201crigorous\u201d research on the role of cannabis in \u201ceasing veterans\u2019 suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n Later, she pressed Carroll, saying, \u201cIf the VA is not going to do the research on the veteran population, then, really, who is? I feel like the buck sort of stops with us.\u201d<\/p>\n The official replied by saying that the the department \u201cstrongly supports\u201d research but reiterated that it has concerns with the prescriptive nature of Correa\u2019s legislation on full-scale clinical trials.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t want to do anything other than the best science and we don\u2019t want to put any veterans at risk,\u201d Carroll said.<\/p>\n The department\u2019s response to the bill is consistent with its past testimony\u2014but it still comes as a disappointment to advocates who had hoped VA under Biden would ultimately embrace the modest reform.<\/p>\n Hopes were raised even higher after the bill sponsor, Correa, recently informed a separate House panel<\/a> that he\u2019d had a conversation with VA Secretary Denis McDonough about the very issue of marijuana and veterans.<\/p>\n Groups that represent military veterans, meanwhile, backed the legislation<\/a> in their testimony.<\/p>\n Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States said, for example, that its members \u201ctell us that medicinal cannabis has helped them cope with chronic pain and other service-connected health conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey cannot receive this service at VA because of VA\u2019s bureaucratic hurdles,\u201d the group said.\u00a0\u201cWhile VA has testified that it has the authority to study Schedule 1 drugs, it has failed to do so, and veterans are tired of waiting,\u201d it continued. \u201cThis bill would prevent VA from further delaying needed research.\u201d<\/p>\n American Legion said the bill \u201cwill help alleviate\u2026stringent guidelines\u201d on studies and \u201censures there is adequate and appropriate research done on the impacts of medicinal cannabis.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is imperative that Department of Veterans Affairs continue to explore alternative treatments to ensure those suffering from PTSD and chronic pain are provided the best possible care,\u201d the group said.<\/p>\n Disabled American Veterans also backs the bill, saying \u201cwe support more comprehensive and scientifically rigorous research by the VA into the therapeutic benefits and risks of cannabis and cannabis-derived products as a possible treatment for service-connected disabled veterans.\u201d<\/p>\n Paralyzed Veterans of America pointed to the \u201cgrowing body of evidence that cannabinoids are effective for treating conditions like chronic pain, chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting, sleep disturbances related to obstructive sleep apnea, multiple sclerosis spasticity symptoms, and fibromyalgia.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cA series of clinical trials on the use of medicinal cannabis would help to determine if it could provide any medical benefits for veterans,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n The Association of VA Psychologist Leaders said that \u201cto keep our veterans safe from the possible risks and to better understand some of the possible benefits of medicinal cannabis, VA must conduct a more comprehensive study than those already underway.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to his standalone bill that was before the committee<\/a> on Wednesday, Correa separately proposed requiring the VA cannabis studies as an amendment to a defense spending bill that passed the House<\/a>\u00a0late last month. But he\u00a0withdrew it prior to a House Rules Committee hearing<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014 A Senate committee in June held a hearing on a bill to similarly require the department to conduct clinical trials into the therapeutic potential of marijuana for military veterans with PTSD and chronic pain\u2014but a VA representative said that\u00a0the Biden administration is opposed to the reform<\/a>.<\/p>\n Responding to that earlier testimony on Wednesday, Correa pointed out that some of the existing studies the department is touting exclude THC. \u201cThere is more work to be done to ensure that we have all of the facts for our veterans,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Subcommittee Ranking Member Jack Bergman (R-MI) expressed disappointment that a separate Republican-led medical cannabis bill<\/a> was not on the panel\u2019s agenda, saying it is \u201cless prescriptive\u201d than the Correa proposal being heard. The legislation is \u201cmuch more likely to produce actionable results about the effects of medicinal marijuana on veterans with PTSD, chronic pain and more,\u201d he argued.<\/p>\n The sponsor of that bill, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), asked VA\u2019s Carroll if he supported her bill at the hearing, but the official replied that he wasn\u2019t prepared to discuss it.<\/p>\n During the last Congress, in 2019, the VA under President Donald Trump\u00a0came out against a series of bills<\/a>\u00a0that were designed to protect benefits for veterans who use marijuana, allow the department\u2019s doctors to recommend medical cannabis and expand research into the plant\u2019s therapeutic potential.<\/p>\n In 2018, the House Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee was the\u00a0first congressional panel to approve a marijuana reform bill<\/a>\u00a0by passing an earlier version of legislation to encourage VA to conduct research on the medical benefits of cannabis.<\/p>\n Despite VA\u2019s stated opposition to a variety of marijuana reform proposals in the past, an official with the department did say recently that it is \u201cvery closely\u201d following research into\u00a0the potential therapeutic benefits of psychedelics like MDMA<\/a>\u00a0for military veterans.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, a bipartisan coalition of congressional lawmakers reintroduced bills that would\u00a0federally legalize medical cannabis for military veterans<\/a>.<\/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 A U.S. military veteran who was deported to Jamaica over a marijuana conviction was\u00a0recently allowed to return to the country<\/a>\u00a0following a concerted push for relief by members of Congress.<\/p>\n Sens. Alex Padilla (D-CA), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Mark Warner (D-VA)\u00a0sent a letter to the head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)<\/a>\u00a0in July requesting that he reopen the case.<\/p>\n Thirty members of the Congressional Black Caucus separately\u00a0urged the Biden administration to reopen certain deportation cases<\/a>, including those involving cannabis such as Bailey\u2019s.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, congressional leaders are working to end federal marijuana prohibition altogether.<\/p>\n The House Judiciary Committee last month approved a bill sponsored by its chairman to federally legalize marijuana and promote social equity<\/a>.<\/p>\n Separately, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (R-OR) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) are also\u00a0leading the charge on a legalization bill in their chamber<\/a>. But weeks after a\u00a0public comment period on a draft version<\/a>\u00a0of the proposal closed, finalized text has yet to be formally filed\u2014and it\u2019s far from certain that Schumer will be able to find enough votes to advance the comprehensive reform through his chamber.<\/p>\n Voters Across The U.S. Will Decide On Marijuana And Psychedelics Ballot Measures Next Month<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Brian Shamblen<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post VA Under Biden Remains Opposed To Marijuana Research Bill For Veterans, Official Tells House Committee<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) under the Biden administration says it continues to oppose a bill that would require it to conduct clinical trials into the therapeutic potential of marijuana for military veterans. That\u2019s despite the fact that multiple veterans service organizations such as the American Legion andContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":50474,"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\/50473"}],"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=50473"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50473\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50475,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50473\/revisions\/50475"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: VA Under Biden Remains Opposed To Marijuana Research Bill For Veterans, Official Tells House Committee<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"