WASHINGTON — Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan is the Republican lead on a new bipartisan bill that would direct the Department of Veterans Affairs to research how medicinal cannabis could help ailing veterans.
The bill will allow the VA secretary to "conduct and support research relating to the efficacy and safety of forms of cannabis … on the health outcomes of covered veterans diagnosed with chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other conditions."
Marijuana is legal in Alaska for both medical and recreational purposes. But it remains illegal under federal law as a Schedule 1 narcotic—one with no accepted medical use. There is disagreement now about whether the law allows research.
The bill "clarifies … that research on medical marijuana is within the VA authority," Sullivan said.
