Our service men and women deserve everything that our country can provide, especially when it comes to healthcare. A veteran should never be denied medicine or medical advice that can help them for any reason. However, sadly, veterans are denied medical advice when it comes to medical cannabis all the time, and not for medical reasons. They are denied medical advice for purely political reasons.
Up until 2011, doctors at VA hospitals were required to not treat veterans for pain if the patient was a medical cannabis user. Since 2011, it has been up to the doctor’s discretion if they want to treat the patient, but they are still forbidden from recommending medical cannabis, even when they know it would benefit the patient.
Last year a bill was introduced to fix this injustice. The ‘Veterans Equal Access Act‘ would allow VA doctors to recommend medical cannabis if they felt it would help the patient. Considering that many veterans suffer from pain, PTSD, and other ailments due to their service, this bill would help a lot of our service men and women.
It’s time that Congress stood up for what’s right when it comes to veterans and medical cannabis. Our veterans served our country proudly, and we owe it to them to help them in every way that we can. VA doctors shouldn’t be restricted because of political views. If any medicine, cannabis or otherwise, could help a patient, the doctor should be able to recommend it to them.
Source: MarijuanaPolitics.Com – syndicated with special permission
