Senator Steve Daines said today Montana veterans should be able to talk to VA doctors about anything they want, including whether to use medical marijuana.
In a press release today, Steve Daines said a VA directive that prevents veterans from discussing state-sanctioned medical marijuana programs with their VA doctors promotes dishonesty.
Daines said that when the directive expires on January 31, there should be no limit on what veterans and their doctors can talk about.
“When Montana Veterans walk into a VA facility and they talk with their doctor, they can’t discuss all of the options available to them that they could discuss at a non-VA facility, literally right next door.”
President of the Montana Cannabis Association, Mort Reid, said that he applauds Daines for the work he’s doing to protect the rights of veterans. Reid says that many suffer from lifelong illnesses that could be alleviated with medical marijuana.
"You know, PTSD is also a very troublesome disease that affects a vast number of the veterans coming back from combat zones. And when you think about a lifelong illness, how do you best approach a treatment regimen for that particular illness?”
Reid said that the typical treatment for vets relies on pharmaceutical narcotics, and that those prescriptions have resulted in addiction and death.