Armed Forces News

The Senate is considering a measure that would allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to dispense medical marijuana to patients with certain injuries or conditions. Sponsored by Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., the bill only would allow dispensation of marijuana at VA medical facilities in the 23 states plus the District of Columbia that have legalized its medical use. Among the provisions, the bill would permit VA to prescribe marijuana for epilepsy and seizure disorders, and allow doctors to recommend it when medically appropriate. The Senate measure follows a comparable House bill that was introduced two weeks earlier.