A GOP congressman has filed the first marijuana bill of the 119th Congress, seeking to protect military veterans from losing government benefits for using medical cannabis in compliance with state law.
The measure from Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) would also codify that U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) doctors are allowed to discuss the potential risks and benefits of marijuana with their patients.
Steube has consistently championed this specific reform, filing multiple versions of the “Veterans Cannabis Use for Safe Healing Act” over the past several Congresses. This latest version is identical to the last two bills he introduced.
VA doctors are currently permitted to discuss cannabis with patients and document their usage in medical records, and those veteran patients are already shielded by agency policy from losing their benefits for marijuana use—but the bill would enshrine these policies into federal statute so they could not be administratively changed in the future.
“As a veteran, I’m committed to ensuring that veterans receive the care they deserve, and I know that sometimes that care can include medical marijuana,” Steube said in a statement to Marijuana Moment when he filed the last version. “Receiving the appropriate treatment to address your health care needs—using products that are legal in the state in which you live—should not preclude you from your Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits.”
—
Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.
Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
—
The version that the congressman introduced three sessions ago was more expansive, containing a notable provision that further allowed VA physicians to formally fill out written recommendations for medical marijuana.
But that language was omitted from these last three iterations—including the new bill—which could maintain barriers to access given that most state medical cannabis programs require a written recommendation, meaning many veterans would have to outsource their healthcare to a non-VA provider in order to qualify for legal access to marijuana.
Steube’s office previously told Marijuana Moment that the omission was necessary in order to advance an earlier version through a House committee in 2020 as an amendment to another bill.
While the absence of language around discussing and recommending medical marijuana isn’t ideal from advocates’ perspective, the bill would still be a modest step for veterans, making it so VA could not move to deny them benefits for using cannabis in accordance with state law.
Meanwhile, advocates and stakeholders are awaiting the reintroduction of another bipartisan proposal that would protect banks from being penalized by federal regulars simply for working with state-legal cannabis businesses.
The GOP House sponsor of the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act will be filing it again this year, but a spokesperson for his office told Marijuana Moment last month that the introduction is “not imminent” as some recent reports have suggested.
Read the text of the latest “Veterans Cannabis Use for Safe Healing Act” below:
Photo courtesy of Brian Shamblen.
Marijuana Moment is made possible with support from readers. If you rely on our cannabis advocacy journalism to stay informed, please consider a monthly Patreon pledge.
