The Veterans Administration recently adopted a policy prohibiting VA physicians from recommending medical marijuana to their patients, even if marijuana is the safest and most effective medicine to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other service-related conditions.
No doubt the policy stems, in part, from the VA's efforts to address the serious problem of drug abuse among returning veterans. Veterans advocates and organizations like the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) certainly share this concern. Last fall, the DPA issued a report calling for immediate policy changes to improve substance abuse and mental health treatment for veterans.
Yet seen from the larger perspective of helping veterans adjust to civilian life, the VA's stance on medical marijuana is counterproductive and harmful. The ban means that -- despite their service to our country -- veterans who reside in the 14 states that have legalized medical marijuana are denied the same rights as every other resident of these states.
