Category: Medical Marijuana

Medical Marijuana

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Lawmakers Call For Veterans Affairs Research Into Medical Marijuana

Veterans Affairs & Medical Marijuana

House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Tim Walz (D-MN) and the nine other Democratic members of the committee sent a letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Dr. David Shulkin urging the Veterans Health Administration Office of Research and Development to begin conducting and examining research into medical marijuana’s effects on veterans suffering from chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The letter notes that 13 percent of veterans prescribed opioids have formed an addiction to the drug.  As a response to the opioid epidemic, Congress passed The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) which directed VHA to continue its efforts to reduce VHA reliance on opioid medication for pain management.  The letter discussed concerns regarding veterans’ lack of access to alternatives to opioid-based treatments such as complementary and alternative medicine including medical marijuana and its cannabinoids.

“VA is uniquely situated to pursue research on the impact of medical marijuana on veterans suffering from chronic pain and PTSD…” reads the letter.  “VA’s pursuit of research into the impact of medical marijuana on the treatment of veterans diagnosed with PTSD who are also experiencing chronic pain is integral to the advancement of health care for veterans and the Nation.”

Read the full letter – Veterans Affairs Research Into Medical Marijuana.

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Protection Extended for State Medical Marijuana Programs

US Congress Protects State Marijuana

Protection was extended again for state medical marijuana programs when the President and Congress signed off on a three-month budget continuing resolution that will be in effect until December 8, 2017.

The budget resolution extends the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Amendment which prohibits the use of federal funds to prevent states from implementing their own laws that allow for the use, cultivation, distribution, or possession of medical cannabis.  That language was initially passed by Congress in 2014 as the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment and is now known as the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer Amendment.

In August, 2016, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in United States v. McIntosh, 833 F.3d 1163, 1177 (9th Cir. 2016), unanimously ruled that the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment bars the federal government from taking legal action against any individual involved in medical marijuana related activity absent evidence that the defendant is in clear violation of state law.

Because the provision is included as part of a Congressional spending package and does not explicitly amend the US Controlled Substances Act, members must re-authorize the amendment annually.