GOP Congressman Introduces Bill to Allow VA Doctors to Recommend Medical Marijuana for Veterans
Congressman Brian Mast (R-FL), co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, has reintroduced the Veterans Equal Access Act, a bill aimed at providing military veterans with access to medical marijuana. The legislation would allow doctors at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to recommend medical marijuana to their patients in states where it is legal. However, the VA would not provide the cannabis, and veterans would need to use those recommendations to access it through existing state-legal dispensaries.
The bill has enjoyed bipartisan support in the past and has been previously pursued through the appropriations process as an amendment. The Congressional Budget Office found in 2020 that implementing the bill would not cost the government anything.
The current law prohibits VA doctors from issuing medical marijuana recommendations, even in states where it is legal. Mast’s bill aims to provide a modest but meaningful reform for the veteran community.
The reintroduction of the Veterans Equal Access Act is the second standalone cannabis legislation to be filed in the 119th Congress. The first bill, sponsored by Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL), seeks to protect military veterans from losing government benefits for using medical cannabis in compliance with state law.
Advocates and stakeholders are also awaiting the reintroduction of the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, which would protect banks from being penalized by federal regulators for working with state-legal cannabis businesses.
