Nine U.S. senators have sent a letter urging the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a standard of care for medical marijuana following the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) recommendation to reschedule cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III substance.
In a letter addressed to VA Secretary Denis Richard McDonough, the senators highlighted the medical benefits of cannabis and its potential to improve veterans’ healthcare.
“Millions of veterans live in states that have legalized medical cannabis,” the senators wrote. “Yet, given cannabis’ current placement in Schedule I, veterans living in any of these states or territories currently lack parity with their non-veteran counterparts. Veterans must instead seek a new, trusted medical system and provider outside of the VA to have a productive conversation about the benefits of, and potential access to, medical cannabis.”
The senators emphasized that the rescheduling of cannabis could reduce the use of more dangerous pain relief methods, such as opioids. They referenced a 2011 VA study that found veterans were twice as likely as the general population to die from an opioid overdose. Despite a 41% decline in opioid prescriptions at VA facilities, veteran overdose mortality rates increased by 53% from 2010 to 2019.
“The decline in opioid prescription rates has not seen a corresponding decline in veteran overdose or suicide rates,” the letter stated. “Leaving our nation’s heroes without access to effective pain management methods is unconscionable.”
The letter also highlighted the findings of the Institute of Medicine, which noted the potential therapeutic value of cannabinoid drugs for pain relief, nausea control, and appetite stimulation. The senators urged the VA to conduct robust research to integrate and coordinate cannabis care and to update the VHA’s electronic medical record system to include a code for “medical cannabis use” separate from “cannabis use disorder.”
The letter concluded by calling on the VA to fulfill its duty to provide the best quality healthcare to veterans by facilitating legal access to medical cannabis. “Our nation’s heroes deserve access to all federally-legal treatment options to meet their healthcare needs.”
The letter was signed by Senators Jeffrey A. Merkley, Kirsten Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren, Bernard Sanders, John Fetterman, Peter Welch, Ron Wyden, Tina Smith, and Jacky Rosen.
