Veteran Administration doctors prescribing marijuana?
Three representatives sent a letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs regarding its prohibition related to marijuana. Currently, VA doctors are not able to prescribe medical cannabis. Representatives Barbara Lee (D-CA), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), and Dave Joyce (R-OH), asked that the VA reconsider its policies against prescribing marijuana in states that allow medical marijuana.
From the House webpage for Barbara Lee:
We write with deep concern that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) renewed undue restrictions on veterans’ care and once again denied the reality of medical marijuana as a key treatment option for those impacted by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic pain, and other conditions disproportionately harming our veterans. Especially after issuing guidance against recommending medical marijuana as an option for veterans with PTSD, the renewal of Veterans Health Administration Directive 1315’s prohibition on VA providers recommending, making referrals, or completing forms for state-authorized medical marijuana is an alarming decision. We urge you to reconsider this misguided prohibition that prevents these health professionals from considering the full range of available treatment options in consultation with their patients.
Before VA issued the renewal of this harmful policy, we led a divided Congress to pass a provision in the Fiscal Year 2024 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 4366) to end the continued restrictions on VA providers to make recommendations and referrals and to complete forms for state-authorized medical marijuana programs. Since 2014, Congress has also prohibited the use of Department of Justice funds for prosecution against individuals who engage in state-authorized medical marijuana activities. This protection against federal interference in medical marijuana includes the VA providers in the 38 states that have adopted medical marijuana programs.
Giving VA providers the discretion to recommend or not recommend medical marijuana as best serves their patients would improve veterans’ services and stop forcing them to self-medicate or seek care outside of the VA system. It would not put providers at risk of federal prosecution from the Department of Justice and its agencies. Many veterans already report using cannabis for medical purposes as a substitute for prescription drugs and their side effects. Just this year, new research found veterans reported medical cannabis “helped them to experience a greater quality of life and… reported using fewer opioids as a result of their medical cannabis use.”
Information related to this letter can be found here and here.
Category: Veteran Health Care
Democrats hate military people and veterans.
So, Granddad/Mom gets his/her VA weed every month in mail and shares/sells it and everybody votes D, so good times ROLL?
Sound advice from Toby Keith.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DpX-7QejAi8M&ved=2ahUKEwjrnK-wweyAAxXihIkEHd5BDtEQ3yx6BAgYEAI&usg=AOvVaw3-PFiie4VqImuqqNZQzmcr
Can dig it. Had a bunch of issued night-time expectorant from the medics for a cold in Afghanistan that made sing that after it gave me nightmares that didn’t make any sense.
Needs to be resolved…legalize it or not, just make up their minds. The patchwork we have now is not tenable in the long run.
F*ck that. Pot degrades executive function and motivation– putting people with problems on that isn’t helpful.
Sadly, as seen with the “decriminalization” patchwork, a black market still thrives as you can get (supposedly) better shit for less. Taxes.
I got no dog in this fight, either, but we fought an entire war over a 2% tax on tea. The federal government used to make only ~18% of its revenue from taxation… nowadays, it’s closer to 85%.
Even when alcohol was prohibited, mind you by an amendment to The Constitution, Doctors maintained the right to prescribe it.
Heck, it was in a lot of readily available products that ‘were not for human consumption’.
We don’t even have the same alternation of Our Contact with the Feral Gv’ment with these drug ‘laws’, in fact it is much worse!! They restrict things, even authorized ones, arbitrary and then have the unrestrained temerity to lie about it.(meme)
The ‘medical’ racket… so easy some of the dumbest amongst us wear scrubs. (see: tictok dancing nurses during The Worst Plague of Alll Times!®)
Do it anyway and be a GD hero, heroes(/s).
^[arbitrarily], ffs. Edit function when?
Just wanted to provide support for my claim above:
Yet, when Johnny comes marching home again, fucking joints are off the table because {checks notes} it was good for society to criminalize a plant that makes the band Kiss listenable?
GeeTeeeFeOh, ya douches.
(I don’t have a dog, as it where. Me and the devil’s let’c ain’t friends)
Walgreens and prohibition
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/doctors-booze-notes-prohibition&ved=2ahUKEwiU89TwweyAAxVYl4kEHR4ZCUoQFnoECBMQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0NwbFVtfxdgkkfLWwHqu9w
Knockin’ out the compeitition for a crappy vaccine…
VA: We don’t have any openings to talk about your PTSD for the next six months, but here have a bag of highly addictive medication until then!
Why not make it overt? /sarc. (Recommending assisted suicide as cost-effective will be next.)
Pretty sick of smelling that crap everywhere.
Obligatory vidya…Leggy, Ginger Haired Ms Thang shows up at the 2:36 mark. Now THAT’s the medicine I could use.
LOL the fucking VA pushes pills for big pharma ( Including Covid Vaccines that everyone gets their asses in the air about) and people are going to clutch their pills over a fucking plant that can be smoked or made into an edible to help reduce pain and stress and help with sleep?
I smoke some or take an edible about an hour before I turn in and have been able to get off Ambien.
I’ve yet to go to a VA facility, despite being rated 100%. I need to get back on GERD and blood pressure medicine, but I know the reputation that the VA has, and have seen my brother (80%, but a bona fide pill head) with his dozen or so prescriptions. I don’t want to get the concept in my head that I need certain medications to continue on.
I noticed a trend with some of my FB friends who posted videos of them disposing of their VA prescriptions and starting the Mary Juwana stuff. While I’ve never tried it, I think that using a natural substance in lieu of a bunch of pharmaceuticals isn’t the worst idea ever, if it works for you.
Drugs have won the war.