On the recordJune 12, 2019
I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I am proud to join my colleague from New York (Ms. Ocasio-Cortez) to support this life-saving amendment. We need legitimate, reliable research by universities and other institutions into the health benefits of cannabis and other substances. This amendment will allow credible research institutions to conduct research by removing layers of paperwork that serve as hurdles meant to block such research. As more Americans, including veterans, use cannabis and so-called magic mushrooms to manage or treat their pain or other health conditions, it is important that doctors have the necessary information on the possible benefits or not of these substances. Our brave men and women who served in Iraq and Afghanistan returned home with many wounds, many of them invisible. Sadly, the current use of opioids to treat PTSD and other chronic pains has been effective and many times has led to addiction and even death. I have listened to veterans both in California and in my office here in Washington, D.C., who have called for additional research into cannabis. According to an Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America survey, more than 80 percent of their membership agree that cannabis should be legal for medical purposes, while 90 percent also support medical cannabis research. As a result, I introduced a bill to promote cannabis research, the VA Medical Cannabis Research Act.…
