Tthe Under Secretary of Health at the Veterans Administration issued a little-noticed directive to VA medical facilities recently, informing facilities that patients who legally use medical marijuana may not be denied access to health services because of their outside prescription. It is the first time the VA has issued such a directive, and comes as the Administration has been quietly relaxing the Bush Administration’s efforts to prosecute medical marijuana growers, dispensaries and users who qualify under state laws.The directive does not allow VA medical personnel to provide patients with prescriptions, as it remains a violation of federal law, but it does allow veterans who are using medical marijuana in conjunction with state law to receive services without penalty — including pain management services. It reads:
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=123426