The Cannabis Wire Daily newsletter is sent to C-Wire Plus subscribers every weekday morning at 7 a.m. Excerpts are published here later in the day. Don’t miss the full picture. Subscribe now.
Veterans and cannabis bill reintroduced in Congress.
Representatives Barbara Lee and Dave Joyce, co-chairs of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, and Senator Brian Schatz have reintroduced the Veterans Medical Marijuana Safe Harbor Act.
The bill would allow VA doctors to recommend medical cannabis in states with legal programs, which they are not currently allowed to do because the US Department of Veterans Affairs is a federal entity. The bill also calls for VA research into veterans’ use of cannabis for pain, often as an alternative to opioids.
“This legislation will empower veterans and their doctors to make informed decisions about the use of medical marijuana to treat chronic conditions in states with legal medical marijuana programs without federal interference,” Lee said in a statement. “As the proud daughter of a veteran, I’m committed to working in Congress to ensure every veteran has a roof over their head, a job that pays them a living wage, and access to the health care services they deserve when they return home.”
Fewer than 10% of Americans want total cannabis prohibition.
A new Pew Research Center survey found overwhelming support for cannabis law reform, with 91% of US adults supporting some form of legalization. Drilling down, 60% support cannabis legalization for both medical and adult use, while 31% support medical use only. Only 8% believe cannabis should remain totally illegal.
And, another poll: roughly 7 in 10 Americans support legalization.
Specifically, about 7 in 10 Americans polled said that “the use of marijuana should be made legal in the United States,” according to a new poll released by Quinnipiac University.
The poll noted the jump from the time that Quinnipiac first started polling about cannabis in December 2012, when 51% of registered voters supported legalization and 44% were opposed.
