President-elect Donald Trump has chosen former Consultant Doug Collins (R-GA) to guide the U.S. Division of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The choice has sparked discussions about how the company may deal with medical hashish points, given his inconsistent observe document on the difficulty, as reported Marijuana Second.
Collins’ File On Hashish
Throughout his time in Congress, Collins opposed efforts to increase entry to medical hashish for veterans. Between 2014 and 2016, he voted towards three proposals that may have allowed VA medical doctors to suggest hashish to their sufferers.
See Additionally: Trump’s Cupboard Decisions: Will His Administration Help Or Prohibit Hashish?
Collins’ views started to shift in 2019. He supported the STATES Act, which might defend state marijuana applications from federal interference, and co-signed a letter with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), urging Congress to take motion on hashish coverage.
“We consider this Committee and this Congress should act to make clear the rights and obligations, relative to hashish, of people, physicians, companies, medical sufferers, and regulation enforcement officers,” they wrote.
Later that 12 months, Collins backed a bipartisan invoice to guard banks that serve marijuana companies in states the place it’s authorized. Nonetheless, he didn’t participate in a 2020 vote on federal hashish legalization.
Collins’ Stance On Psychedelics
In relation to psychedelics, there is not a lot recognized about Collins’s stance. Nonetheless, his shifting views on hashish coverage trace that he might be open to exploring totally different approaches.
Hashish At The VA
VA coverage has lengthy prohibited its medical doctors from recommending hashish, citing marijuana’s classification as a Schedule I managed substance below federal regulation. This stance has remained constant throughout each Republican and Democratic administrations, regardless of rising assist for change in Congress.
Latest efforts to deal with this problem embrace a Senate Appropriations Committee request for the VA to discover hashish as a substitute for opioids. Lawmakers have additionally launched measures that may enable VA medical doctors to suggest hashish in states the place it’s authorized. These efforts have gained bipartisan assist, however none have but grow to be regulation.
Veterans service organizations have pushed for additional reforms, together with expanded analysis into the potential advantages of hashish. Final 12 months, a Senate committee authorized a invoice to review hashish for veterans with sure medical circumstances, however it didn’t advance to a flooring vote.
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