Congresswoman Dina Titus, co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, has reaffirmed the group’s strong support for a provision in the Senate’s pending military spending bill that would allow VA doctors to recommend medical marijuana to veterans.
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“Allowing VA doctors to talk about and recommend medical marijuana with veterans suffering from PTSD and other medical conditions is long overdue,” Titus tells The Marijuana Herald. “This is something I have advocated for nearly a decade as an alternative to treatment with opioids, which are addictive and harmful.”
Titus notes that the group is working to ensure that the provision remains in the final version of the military spending bill, telling us “I am hopeful that the Cannabis Caucus can convince the full House and the Senate that medical marijuana is a far better treatment option and we can give our veterans the care they deserve so they don’t turn to self-medication.”
The provision, which has passed the full House and was recently approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee, would reverse a longstanding ban on VA doctors discussing or recommending marijuana, even in states where it’s legal. A Senate floor vote is expected soon, and supporters are optimistic it will remain in the final version of the bill.
Titus has long championed veterans’ access to medical marijuana and has played a key role in building bipartisan support through the Cannabis Caucus. If the Senate passes the bill and the provision survives conference negotiations, it would mark a historic shift in federal policy toward medical marijuana access for the veteran community, if it’s signed into law by President Trump.
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