Last week was a huge step forward in Veterans access to marijuana. On July 27th, two key measures were approved in the House of Reps:
- One allows the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) doctors to discuss and issue medical cannabis recommendations to veterans
- The other encourages research into the therapeutic potential of psychedelics.
“Our courageous veterans deserve the ability to use cannabis to treat PTSD, chronic illness and injury, or other injuries seen and unseen.” – Co-chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus
This ruling follows a recent study that found that over 90% of U.S. military veterans who use medical marijuana say it improves their quality of life.
Researchers from the University of Massachusetts, University of Utah and cannabis research institutes analyzed self-reported survey data from 510 veterans and have discovered significant findings:
- 67% of those surveyed use cannabis daily.
- 30% consume marijuana to reduce the use of other medications, including antidepressants and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories.
- 21% use it to reduce their use of opioid-based medications.
There’s a high interest in studying the possibility of cannabis as a treatment option for veterans, as the population disproportionately suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and high rates of suicide.
With these continued studies and recent amendments, we are one step closer to ensuring veterans can access every possible tool to treat their wounds.
