The Veterans Administration in Colorado says that injured and sick vets using cannabis legally according to state laws won’t face any pushback. The statement came in response to vets concerned that they would lose their federal benefits if marijuana came up in a blood or urine screen.
“Use of state-approved marijuana does not disqualify a veteran for healthcare, and it will not result in any sort of retaliation or denial of services,” Dan Warvi, VA spokesman, told Denver’s FOX31 news this week.
Warvi said that the VA actually wants vets to talk openly with their doctors about cannabis use and how the vets use it medically or otherwise.
“We want to sit down with veterans and say, ‘Look, you told us you’re on this. What can we do for you now?” Warvi said.
The news is also a relief to Grow4Vets, a group we told you about yesterday that is providing free cannabis to vets across Colorado. Grow4Vets founder Roger Martin – a former serviceman himself – said that he received 300 emails yesterday alone.
Colorado lawmakers recently shot down a bill that would have allowed medical cannabis access to people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. That bill had the support of several veterans groups.
