{"id":20207,"date":"2024-07-23T13:47:14","date_gmt":"2024-07-23T17:47:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.merkley.senate.gov\/?p=20207"},"modified":"2024-08-07T13:48:22","modified_gmt":"2024-08-07T17:48:22","slug":"sens-merkley-and-wyden-and-rep-blumenauer-urge-va-to-expand-care-to-medical-cannabis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.merkley.senate.gov\/es\/sens-merkley-and-wyden-and-rep-blumenauer-urge-va-to-expand-care-to-medical-cannabis\/","title":{"rendered":"Sens. Merkley and Wyden and Rep. Blumenauer urge VA to expand care to medical cannabis\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cr\u00f3nica de la capital de Oreg\u00f3n<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley wants veterans to receive access to medical cannabis through Veterans Affairs clinics and hospitals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Merkley, D-Oregon, led a left-leaning independent and seven other Democratic senators, including Oregon\u2019s U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, in sending una carta<\/a> late last week to Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough, urging him to allow medical marijuana treatment for veterans in states that have legalized its use. Medical cannabis is legal in nearly 40 states and the District of Columbia, but the federal government has not changed it alongside that trend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The letter follows a similar plea in June spearheaded by another Democratic Oregon congressional member, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oregon is home to 250,000 veterans and many rely on U.S. Department of Veterans Administration outpatient clinics in urban and rural communities and its hospitals in Portland and Roseburg. But a VA directive bars providers from recommending the use of medical marijuana or making referrals for its use. It even prevents providers from completing forms for state-authorized medical marijuana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But advocates are hopeful the VA will loosen these restrictions following a May proposal by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. It recommended that marijuana be rescheduled from Schedule 1 \u2013 the most restrictive listing possible for dangerous drugs with no recognized medical use \u2013 to Schedule III, which is less restrictive and recognizes the medical benefits of cannabis, potentially opening up treatment options. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The senators asked the VA to educate providers about the benefits of cannabis use to treat various medical conditions, including anxiety and seizures. They noted that scientific data shows it\u2019s effective for controlling nausea and vomiting and stimulating the appetite while being much less addictive than opioids in treating pain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLeaving our nation\u2019s heroes without access to effective pain management methods is unconscionable,\u201d the letter said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blumenauer\u2019s letter struck a similar tone, saying that barring medical marijuana forces veterans to seek outside care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo one is better qualified to make recommendations on care for veterans than veterans working with their VA health care providers,\u201d Blumenauer wrote. \u201cPlacing arbitrary restrictions on those decisions is a disservice to our veterans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The letter was signed by a Republican, Rep. David Joyce of Ohio, and a Democrat, Rep. Barbara Lee of California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In June, with a boost from Blumenauer, the House voted to 290-116 to pass an amendment to the VA\u2019s spending bill that would end the agency\u2019s prohibition on helping veterans access medical marijuana care. The bipartisan amendment, co-sponsored with U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Florida, would require the agency to authorize providers to discuss medical marijuana with veterans and recommend that care if they believe it is necessary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1998, Oregon voters approved legalizing medical marijuana. In 2014, Oregon voters legalized recreational marijuana. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides Merkley and Wyden, Democratic Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York; Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts; John Fetterman of Pennsylvania; Peter Welch of Vermont; Tina Smith of Minnesota; and Jacky Rosen of Nevada signed the letter along with Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont who caucuses with Democrats.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Oregon Capital Chronicle U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley wants veterans to receive access to medical cannabis through Veterans Affairs clinics and hospitals.  Merkley, D-Oregon, led a left-leaning independent and seven other Democratic senators, including Oregon\u2019s U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, in sending a letter late last week to Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough, urging him to allow medical marijuana […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20207","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-in-the-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSens. Merkley and Wyden and Rep. 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