FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 16, 2023
CONTACT:
Erin Moffet, Erin@TheLiaisonGroup.com, (276) 698-4856
NATIONAL CANNABIS ROUNDTABLE APPLAUDS COMMITTEE APPROVAL OF VA MEDICINAL CANNABIS RESEARCH ACT
Washington, D.C. – Today, the National Cannabis Roundtable (NCR) applauded the advancement of the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act by the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. This bipartisan bill directs the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to carry out a study and clinical trials on the effects of cannabis on veterans suffering from chronic pain and PTSD. It was introduced in the Senate by Sens. John Tester (D-MT), chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and in the House by Reps. Lou Correa (D-CA) and Jack Bergman (R-MI).
“I was diagnosed with PTSD when I got back from Iraq. Like millions of other Veterans, cannabis wasn\’t an option for me through the VA. I think we can all agree that those who served our country should have the most access to all available treatments. We are going through both opioid and suicide epidemics right now in the Veteran community at rates exponentially greater than the civilian population. We should be doing everything we possibly can to combat these dual crises – and that means increasing access to alternative treatments like cannabis and destigmatizing its use,” said Sean Gilfillan, former U.S. diplomat and Army Officer and current co-founder and co-CEO of American Weed Company, an NCR member. “I thank Chairman Tester and the bipartisan bill sponsors in both chambers for prioritizing this vital issue as a much-needed step towards equal access for veterans by requiring the VA to carry out the necessary research that we know will confirm the benefits of cannabis that have for too long been ignored or denied within the VA’s system. We hope to now see the full Senate and House take up this bipartisan measure with the urgency it demands so it can be signed into law and open doors for veterans’ access.”
The National Cannabis Roundtable is an alliance of cannabis companies, as well as ancillary services and solutions providers, who seek cannabis reform that nurtures the nascent domestic industry, protects consumers, and advances social equity.
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