Department of Veteran Affairs Issues New Cannabis Policy
The United States Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) released a new directive dated December 8 urging government doctors to have open discussions with their patients about medical cannabis possibilities, although the directive extends the department’s policy to prohibit doctors from recommending medical cannabis.
As reported by Tom Angell from Marijuana Majority, the directive urges doctors to “discuss with the Veteran marijuana use, due to its clinical relevance to patient care, and discuss marijuana use with any Veterans requesting information about marijuana.”
The directive bars VA employees from consuming medical cannabis, but it also states that “Veterans must not be denied VHA services solely because they are participating in State-approved marijuana programs.”
The catch is that the department continues to stress that “providers are prohibited from completing forms or registering Veterans for participation in a State-approved marijuana program.”
According to Angell, the only thing blocking government doctors from recommending medical cannabis is the department’s own internal policy, despite repeated attempts by the VA to project the blame on Congress.
The department is essentially saying that veterans will have to turn to outside doctors for medical cannabis recommendations if they choose to follow that route. It does however, encourage government doctors to closely monitor patients that consume medical cannabis.
Although no doctor in America can legally prescribe medical cannabis, as prescriptions are federally regulated, doctors are free to “recommend” it. This is the same logic that has been applied in 29 states that allow medical cannabis to some degree.
The last time the VA issued a policy on medical cannabis was in 2011 and that policy expired on January 31, 2016, but was extended until the new directive was issued. It marks a few small steps forward for veterans that choose to treat issues like PTSD with medical cannabis.
