Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics in the 14 states where marijuana is legal can use its medical version for treating patients thanks to the new federal guidelines.

The Veterans Affairs Department is supposed to issue a directive next week to clearly explain the current policy which states that pain medication can be refused to veterans if they are found to be using illegal drugs. Veteran groups have been complaining for years that this policy thwarts the veterans from utilizing VA benefits if they are found using medical marijuana.

The latest guidelines do not permit VA doctors to start prescribing medical marijuana to their patients as it is an illegal drug under federal law. However, the guidelines will clarify that in 14 states VA doctors can allow the use of medical marijuana for veterans who have already been prescribed its dose by other clinicians. The list of 14 states includes Vermont, Washington, Nevada, Alaska, Michigan, Oregon, Maine, Hawaii, Rhode Island, New Mexico, California, Maryland, Colorado and Montano. In all these 14 states, the federal law and state are against each other.

Veterans for Medical Marijuana Access is a group that worked along with Veterans Affairs on this issue. John Targowski, a legal adviser for VMMA, is of the opinion that government’s policy has caused confusion leading some veterans to either avoid the VA system or distrust their health care providers.

The guidelines will reach the 900 care facilities by VA all over the country by next week. The VA makes it clear that a VA clinician reserves the right to alter a veteran’s prescription if any risks related to bad interface with other drugs are noticed. The judgment to prescribe certain opioids in combination with medical marijuana will be made solely on medical reasons.

Source:

The Washington Post