The new bill does not come with any major changes.
BY: NATALIE FERTIG | 02/09/2023 01:23 PM EST
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Senate Veterans Affairs Chair Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) are reintroducing their veterans medical marijuana legislation Thursday, according to a Senate staffer with knowledge of the move.
The VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act of 2023 would instruct the Department of Veterans Affairs to conduct research, including clinical trials, into the impact of cannabis on veterans who use it for medical purposes such as for chronic pain and PTSD.
The new bill does not come with any major changes aside from the addition of a retroactive observational study that will assess the impact on veterans who are already using cannabis for these purposes and asses the ability of the VA to conduct clinical trials on cannabis, among other things.
"I think we have the best chance we have ever had of getting it to the president's desk," said veterans advocate Amy Rising. "I am optimistic because the Republicans have changed the table in a significant way and have been really helpful this go-around."
