Trump-Appointed Doug Collins To Lead VA: What’s Subsequent For Hashish and Psychedelics In Veterans’ Healthcare?

President-elect Donald Trump has chosen former Consultant Doug Collins (R-GA) to steer the U.S. Division of Veterans Affairs (VA).

The choice has sparked discussions about how the company would possibly deal with medical hashish points, given his inconsistent observe file on the problem, as reported Marijuana Second.

Collins’ Document On Hashish

Throughout his time in Congress, Collins opposed efforts to increase entry to medical hashish for veterans. Between 2014 and 2016, he voted in opposition to three proposals that might have allowed VA docs to advocate hashish to their sufferers.

See Additionally: Trump’s Cupboard Selections: Will His Administration Assist Or Limit 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 imagine this Committee and this Congress should act to make clear the rights and duties, relative to hashish, of people, physicians, companies, medical sufferers, and legislation enforcement officers,” they wrote.

Later that yr, Collins backed a bipartisan invoice to guard banks that serve marijuana companies in states the place it’s authorized. Nevertheless, he didn’t participate in a 2020 vote on federal hashish legalization.

Collins’ Stance On Psychedelics

On the subject of psychedelics, there is not a lot recognized about Collins’s stance. Nevertheless, his shifting views on hashish coverage trace that he could possibly be open to exploring totally different approaches.

Hashish At The VA

VA coverage has lengthy prohibited its docs from recommending hashish, citing marijuana’s classification as a Schedule I managed substance underneath federal legislation. This stance has remained constant throughout each Republican and Democratic administrations, regardless of rising help for change in Congress.

Current efforts to handle this problem embrace a Senate Appropriations Committee request for the VA to discover hashish as an alternative choice to opioids. Lawmakers have additionally launched measures that might permit VA docs to advocate hashish in states the place it’s authorized. These efforts have gained bipartisan help, however none have but change into legislation.

Veterans service organizations have pushed for additional reforms, together with expanded analysis into the potential advantages of hashish. Final yr, a Senate committee accredited a invoice to review hashish for veterans with sure medical situations, nevertheless it did not advance to a ground vote.

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