Senate Committee Advances Amendment Allowing VA Doctors to Recommend Medical Cannabis to Veterans

Proposal Marks Tenth Consecutive Year of Senate Approval but Still Awaits Enactment

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a significant but long-fought step toward expanding medical cannabis access for U.S. veterans, the Senate Appropriations Committee has once again approved an amendment to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (MilConVA) appropriations bill that would allow doctors within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to recommend medical marijuana in states where it is legal.

The amendment, championed by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), aims to lift long-standing federal restrictions that prevent VA healthcare providers from discussing or recommending cannabis as a treatment option, even in jurisdictions that have legalized its medicinal use. This marks the tenth consecutive year that the Senate committee has passed the provision, though it has never advanced beyond committee-level approval into law.

Protecting Patient-Doctor Communication in Legal Cannabis States

Under the proposed language, VA doctors would be allowed to engage in open discussions about medical marijuana with their veteran patients without fear of federal interference. The amendment also ensures that veterans enrolled in state-legal medical marijuana programs are not denied VA services and that providers can assist in necessary steps such as paperwork or state-mandated compliance processes.

The amendment includes three key protections:

1. It prohibits the VA from using funds to interfere with a veteran’s participation in a state-approved medical marijuana program. 
2. It prevents the VA from denying services to a veteran enrolled in such a program. 
3. It ensures that VA healthcare providers can make appropriate recommendations and help patients complete any forms required for participation in those programs. 

Although many veterans turn to cannabis to manage chronic pain, PTSD, and other service-related health conditions, federal restrictions have kept it out of reach through official VA channels, despite growing public and bipartisan legislative support.

Veterans Equal Access Act Gains New Momentum

The newly passed Senate amendment aligns closely with the Veterans Equal Access Act, a standalone piece of legislation also introduced this year by Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), a military veteran and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus. The House Appropriations Committee adopted a similar provision in June.

The Veterans Equal Access Act seeks to eliminate barriers preventing veterans from accessing state-legal medical marijuana through their VA physicians. While support for this legislation has grown steadily over the past decade, the bill—and the amendments modeled after it—have repeatedly failed to make it into final federal law, primarily due to political stalemates and shifting budget priorities.

This year, lawmakers are hopeful that broader public support for cannabis reform and increased awareness of veterans’ mental health needs will push the measure over the finish line.

A Shifting Landscape in Veteran and Psychedelic Medicine

The amendment’s passage occurs amid a broader national conversation about veterans’ access to plant-based therapies, including both cannabis and psychedelics. Earlier this week, a Republican-led House committee approved a related amendment that calls for progress reporting on psychedelic therapy pilot programs within the Department of Defense.

That program, already underway, aims to explore the efficacy of treatments such as MDMA and psilocybin for conditions like PTSD and severe depression. Lawmakers including Reps. Lou Correa (D-CA) and Jack Bergman (R-MI), co-chairs of the Congressional Psychedelic Advancing Therapies (PATH) Caucus, have been instrumental in pushing these initiatives forward.

These efforts align with goals shared by VA Secretary Doug Collins, who has voiced support for researching alternative therapies, including plant-based medicines, to address the mental health crisis plaguing many former service members.

Ongoing Obstacles and Missed Opportunities

Despite these developments, progress has been slow. For example, earlier this month the House Rules Committee blocked a separate bipartisan amendment that would have allocated an additional $10 million for psychedelic research within the Department of Defense. The amendment would have further accelerated clinical trials focused on ibogaine, MDMA, and psilocybin.

Meanwhile, backers of the medical marijuana amendment argue that continued federal barriers put veterans at a disadvantage compared to civilians living in legal states. The current federal VA policy, which explicitly prevents doctors from recommending cannabis, forces veterans to seek care outside the VA system—often at higher costs and with reduced care coordination.

Supporters of the amendment view it as a step toward correcting these disparities and restoring the patient-doctor relationship for veterans.

Political and Industry Reactions

The passage of the Senate amendment has been met with cautious optimism by medical cannabis advocates, veterans’ groups, and members of the cannabis industry. Many believe that granting VA doctors the freedom to recommend medical marijuana would signal a sea change in how the federal government approaches cannabis use among former military personnel.

For cannabis businesses operating in legal states, the policy shift could also translate to a significant increase in demand, particularly for products tailored toward pain management, anxiety relief, and sleep disorders—conditions commonly reported by veterans.

However, concerns remain that despite repeated committee-level approvals, the provision may once again fail to reach the president’s desk. In previous years, the amendment was stripped during final negotiations between the House and Senate versions of the MilConVA bill.

Looking Ahead

As Congress continues its budget negotiations and prepares for further debate over federal cannabis policy, the adoption of this amendment marks a critical moment in the broader campaign to secure veterans’ access to legal medical marijuana.

The Senate and House will now work to reconcile differences between their respective appropriations bills, and advocates are urging leadership on both sides to retain the veterans cannabis language in the final version.

If signed into law, the policy would mark a historic shift for federal cannabis regulations, directly affecting nearly 19 million veterans nationwide particularly the thousands who live in the 38 states and Washington, D.C., where medical cannabis is legal.

Until then, veterans and their advocates will continue to press for reform one committee vote at a time.