Reframe the National Discussion on Cannabis

The use of medical cannabis has been of great concern to the veteran population for quite some time. For years, IAVA members have sounded off in support of researching medical cannabis for the wounds of war. Veterans consistently and passionately have communicated that cannabis offers effective help in tackling some of the most pressing injuries we face when returning from war. In our latest Member Survey, over 80% of IAVA members supported legalization for medical use. Across party lines, medical cannabis is largely unopposed. Yet our national policies are outdated, research is lacking, and stigma persists.

Over the past few years, IAVA members have set out to change the national conversation around cannabis and underscore the need for bipartisan, data-based, common-sense solutions that can bring relief to millions, save taxpayers billions and create thousands of jobs for veterans nationwide.

America is entering a new era in the cannabis debate, and IAVA will work to ensure that veterans are protected, supported, and elevated in the national debate.

As a Schedule I drug under the FDA, research into the effects and efficacy of cannabis has been stagnant, cumbersome, and convoluted. While not impossible, federal research into cannabis faces many bureaucratic hurdles that hinder good research. A January 2017 National Academy of Sciences study found “conclusive or substantial” evidence that cannabis is effective in treating chronic pain, moderate evidence that cannabis helps with sleep, and the science is inconclusive on cannabis as an anxiety and PTSD treatment option. However, federal bureaucratic hurdles continue to halt the system and stimie good research. We will never get a definitive answer on the efficacy of cannabis as a treatment option while federal regulations that actively undermine solid research studies remain in place. The system is antiquated and must be adjusted to match state laws and research needs.

• Remove cannabis as a Schedule I drug
• Allow FDA clinical trials to be conducted on cannabis
• Ensure there is more than one source of cannabis for FDA-approved trials
• Streamline the process for approval of medical cannabis research studies through federal agencies
• Encourage the FDA to create standards for medical cannabis to ensure quality and standardized products are available in states with legalized medical cannabis
• Allow testing labs with DEA licenses to test cannabis for quality standards without fear of losing their licenses
• Ensure veteran preference and specific veteran grants for federal hemp and cannabis industry contracts