Thor Benson / Cannabis News Box Contributor

As things stand, VA doctors are not allowed to prescribe medical cannabis to veterans who are suffering from conditions like chronic pain and PTSD. This has been a major concern for many veterans’ groups around the country for years. In a recent interview with Colorado Matter, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie explained why he’s against changing the current rules to allow veterans to be prescribed cannabis.

“Well, it is the federal law and it’s simple. The other thing that I will say and I said this in testimony is this is not the 1960s,” Wilkie said. “We still have no idea the effects of a more potent type of marijuana that we’re seeing in the country and I’m not going to be in the position to replace the opioids that we are dispensing with, with a drug that we still have no idea what kind of effects it has the brain. We are still really in the early stages of determining that impact. As long as it is against federal law, it is up to Congress to change the way we do things.”

Essentially, he’s allegedly worried about potency and a lack of studies. The prohibition of cannabis made studying its medical benefits nearly impossible for decades, but we’ll put that to the side.

Roger Martin, the founder of the HeroGrown Foundation, told Cannabis News Box that he believes since potency can be “controlled” that this objection is invalid. He called it a “political talking point.”

“For decades, they shoved prescription pills down the throats of vets at an alarming rate; usually without regard for the potential, too often fatal, consequences,” Martin said. Where is the concern over how potent these opioids are?

Martin said Wilkie isn’t the first VA secretary to “lack the political courage to do the right thing,” but he hopes things will change.

“More than 50 vets die every day from prescription drug overdose and suicide,” Martin said. “I think that fact speaks volumes.”

It seems Wilkie is passing the buck to Congress when it seems pretty clear he could allow VA doctors to prescribe medical cannabis in states where it is legal without any interference from other parts of the federal government. Since he is apparently unwilling to do this, Congress may have to step up to the plate and legalize cannabis nationwide so veterans can get the medicine they need.