CANNAConsumer Magazine August 2017 | Page 46

Fortunately, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) introduced the Veterans Equal Access Act which directs the VA to “authorize VA health care providers to: (1) provide veterans with recommendations and opinions regarding participation in their state's [cannabis] programs, and (2) complete forms reflecting such recommendations and opinions.” This is a step in the right direction but does not ultimately address the underlying issue that prevents medical research in the first place – cannabis’ schedule I classification. That heavy lifting has been left to the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States (CARERS) Act of 2017.

So, what exactly would veterans prefer? First, give us the choice. It’s highly ironic that the VA recently sent all veterans a “Veterans Choice Card” that is designed to give veterans “flexibility in meeting [their] healthcare needs.” Yet when a veteran reports that medical cannabis is an effective treatment (without the terrible side effects associated with most pills by the way), the VA responds by denying whether there is any benefit to medical cannabis and basing that decision on uninformed policy instead of science. This is not a good treatment strategy and flies in the face of logic and compassionate care.

46 CANNABIS FOR VETERANS

Veterans’ Preference: The Choice Should Be Ours

Cannabis for Veterans