In an opinion piece with the Washington Examiner, Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., voiced his opposition to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ resistance to allow veterans to use medical cannabis.
Moulton, a Marine Corps infantry veteran, said fellow veterans use cannabis in order to not get addicted to opioids, which the widespread use of has led to overdoses across the country.
“We talk to each other because none of my friends can talk about cannabis with their doctors at the VA. Despite the fact that cannabis is either legal or decriminalized in more than half the states in the country, they might lose their VA benefits if they do,” Moulton said.
“Veterans seeking cannabis aren’t druggies. Many are American heroes who deserve a VA that researches cannabis and protects veterans from opioids using any method that’s safe. Federal drug laws currently prevent researchers from figuring that out,” he said. “It’s time for change.”
Moulton pointed to the three bills he introduced with Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., that will protect veterans who are using cannabis from losing their benefits, direct the VA to conduct a survey of veterans and VA healthcare providers to learn more about how many veterans are using cannabis and why, and expand access to educational resources so VA doctors can learn more about medical cannabis.
“Ultimately, making the VA a place where veterans can discuss and maybe someday access cannabis, will help our country evolve on this issue too,” Moulton said, hoping making medical cannabis accessible to veterans will lead to more decriminalization of marijuana across the country.
