This week the Department of Veterans Affairs has said that it would not be conducting research on veterans on whether or not medical marijuana can help them with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic pain.
Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin wrote a letter to Tim Walz, the Democratic U.S. Rep from Minnesota, and said that the VA’s ability to research medical marijuana is hampered by the fact that the drug is illegal federally.
10 Democrats on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee has been inquiring for the VA to investigate the risks and benefits of the drug for PTSD and chronic pain.
“VA is committed to researching and developing effective ways to help Veterans cope with post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain conditions,” Shulkin wrote.
“However, federal law restricts VA’s ability to conduct research involving medical marijuana, or to refer veterans to such projects.”
“What America’s veterans need prioritized right now is for cannabis to be treated as a health policy issue,” argued Nick Etten, the founder and executive director of the Veterans Cannabis Project. “We’re desperate for solutions for the conditions we’re dealing with.”
