V.A. Easing Rules for Users of Medical Marijuana

[Pirate Smile]

Source: The New York Times

DENVER — The Department of Veterans Affairs will formally allow patients treated at its hospitals and clinics to use medical marijuana in states where it is legal, a policy clarification that veterans have sought for several years.

A department directive, expected to take effect next week, resolves the conflict in veterans facilities between federal law, which outlaws marijuana, and the 14 states that allow medicinal use of the drug, effectively deferring to the states.

The policy will not permit department doctors to prescribe marijuana. But it will address the concern of many patients who use it that they could lose access to their prescription pain medication if caught.
Such fear has led many patients to distrust their doctors, veterans say. With doctors and patients pressing the veterans department for formal guidance, agency officials began drafting a policy last fall.

“When states start legalizing marijuana we are put in a bit of a unique position because as a federal agency, we are beholden to federal law,” said Dr. Robert Jesse, the principal deputy under secretary for health in the Veterans Department.
At the same time, Dr. Jesse said, “We didn’t want patients who were legally using marijuana to be administratively denied access to pain management programs.”

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/24/health/policy/24veterans.html?_r=1&src=tptw

[Alexander]

1. But I thought Obama and Bush were both the same!!!

At least, that's what I read on DU every single day.

Can you imagine Bush allowing this?

[jmowreader]

2. There's a monetary aspect to this, of course

Cannabis relieves pain, and in some cases gets rid of it entirely. (No one would smoke weed if it didn't make them feel good, correct?) IIRC pot is synergistic with pain medicine--it makes it work better.

So...if the patient uses medical marijuana--which the VA does NOT pay for--and by doing so reduces or eliminates the need to prescribe the kind of pain pills the VA gives out, this saves them money. VA has to spend a lot of money on other kinds of care because of what its users used to do for a living, so if they can save money by letting the patients buy and use medical marijuana, they'll do so.

[midnight]

3. Here is a informative link about these 14 states.

http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000881

[BakedAtAMileHigh]

4. fabulous news!

and good for vets and patients everywhere.

[Bluenorthwest]

5. This is really an excellent and compassionate change of policy

Good news on a Friday.

[droidamus2]

6. Somebody needs to do some thinking

The DEA has marijuana on schedule 1 of their drug classifications. Drugs on Schedule 1 'have no medical use' among other things. So how does one agency of the government acknowledge that marijuana has medical uses yet another agency says it has 'no medical uses'. Somebody needs to decide (I vote for at a minimum taking it off schedule 1 but I believe it should be legalized and taxed) what the federal governments stance is. I wonder if this could be used in a court case to force the DEA to change how marijuana is scheduled.

[defendandprotect]

7. What's really dumb is that we still don't acknowlege marijuana as a medicine ....

and, if anyone knows enough about what its health benefits may be, that info isn't

being acknowledged either -

HEMP is another subject which is taboo --

This is nuts!

But any little bit of progress is helpful!!

[Uncle Joe]

8. Excellent news.

Thanks for the thread, Pirate Smile.:thumbsup:

[xynthee]

9. Woo-hoo!

This is a good omen!!