FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
December 23, 2025
CONTACT: press@iava.org | 917-326-4002

Washington, D.C. — Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the leading voice for post‑9/11 veterans, welcomes the Administration’s Executive Order directing federal agencies to expedite the rescheduling of cannabis to Schedule III. This action represents a meaningful acknowledgment of what veterans have long known: cannabis has therapeutic value and deserves serious consideration and study as a treatment option for many of the invisible and visible wounds of war. 

The Executive Order instructs the Attorney General and federal agencies to accelerate the rescheduling process and expand medical cannabis and cannabidiol (CBD) research, including real‑world evidence models that reflect how patients actually use these therapies. While this is an important step forward, IAVA emphasizes that rescheduling alone will not deliver the access, equity, or protections veterans need. 

“This Executive Order represents progress, but not completion,” said Dr. Kyleanne Hunter, CEO of IAVA. “Veterans deserve safe, consistent, federally recognized access to cannabis as a legitimate treatment option. Rescheduling is a start – it allows for meaningful and consistent research on the benefits of cannabis. But we cannot stop here.  It does not fix the systemic barriers that keep veterans from the care they need and deserve.” 

Veterans Want Alternatives — and the Data Is Clear 

Post‑9/11 veterans have endured two decades of war, the opioid epidemic, and a mental health crisis that continues to claim lives every day. IAVA’s member surveys consistently show overwhelming support for expanding access to alternative therapies: 

•  71% of IAVA members support federal legalization of cannabis to ensure equal access nationwide. 
• Veterans report that cannabis provides relief for chronic pain, PTSD, and other service‑connected conditions — often with fewer side effects than prescription drugs. 
• 65% support expanding access to psychedelic therapies within the VA, reflecting a broader demand for innovative, evidence‑based treatments. 

Despite this, VA clinicians remain prohibited from prescribing or recommending cannabis, even in states where it is fully legal. Veterans who choose cannabis can still face discrimination in employment, housing, and parental rights and these barriers are not eliminated by rescheduling. 

“Veterans should not have to choose between effective treatment and their livelihoods,” Hunter added. “We cannot continue to ask veterans to navigate a patchwork of state laws, out‑of‑pocket costs, and stigma.” 

Rescheduling Helps — But It Doesn’t Fix the System 

While the Executive Order acknowledges the medical value of cannabis, it does not: 

• Legalize medical cannabis at the federal level 
• Allow VA clinicians to prescribe or recommend cannabis 
• Integrate cannabis into VA or federal healthcare systems 
• Protect veterans from discrimination related to cannabis use 
• Ensure product safety or consistent national standards 

“Recognition is not the same as access,” said Hunter. “Veterans deserve a modernized VA that reflects the realities of today’s medicine — not yesterday’s politics.” 

IAVA Calls on Congress to Finish the Job 

IAVA urges Congress to build on this Executive Order by passing comprehensive legislation that: 

• Establishes a national medical cannabis framework 
• Protects veterans from discrimination 
• Empowers VA clinicians to discuss and recommend cannabis 
• Expands and funds rigorous research on cannabis and other alternative therapies 
• Ensures safe, regulated access to cannabis and cannabinoid products nationwide 

IAVA continues to champion legislation like Veterans Cannabis Use for Safe Healing Act (H.R.966), which would prohibit the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from denying a veteran any VA benefit due to participation in a state-approved marijuana program.   

Veterans Deserve the Same Standard of Care as Civilians 

From cannabis to psychedelics, equine therapy, agri‑therapy, and other emerging treatments, veterans are too often denied access to therapies widely available to civilians. IAVA insists that the VA must modernize its approach and meet veterans where they are. 

“Our veterans have carried the weight of two decades of war. They should not also have to fight for access to the treatments that help them heal,” said Hunter. “This Executive Order is a step — now Congress must take the next one.” 

About IAVA: IAVA stands at the center of people, policy, and institutions to ensure that the lived experience of post-9/11 veterans is heard, measured, and acted on. We turn the experiences of post-9/11 veterans into evidence, use that evidence to shape policy, and work with institutions that serve veterans to ensure that policies become real in veterans’ lives. By convening veterans, researchers, and decision-makers, IAVA drives the changes needed to ensure America serves the newest generation of veterans.  

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