[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6776]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          VA MEDICAL MARIJUANA

  (Ms. TITUS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. TITUS. Mr. Speaker, today the House did do one good thing, and 
that was to take a major step forward with the historic passage of an 
amendment that removes the barriers for our Veterans Administration 
health professionals to discuss alternative treatments--specifically, 
medical marijuana--with their patients in States like Nevada, where it 
is legal.
  This comes on the heels of action last week addressing the opioid 
epidemic that is plaguing our Nation, and it is especially 
heartbreaking in our veteran community where these drugs are being 
overprescribed for pain treatment and PTSD.
  The amendment passed today, which I was pleased to offer and to 
support, will provide additional tools for our medical professionals in 
the treatment of our veterans so they won't have to resort to opioids.
  I am proud that this amendment did have bipartisan support; but 
moving forward, we must continue to reform our outdated policies and 
laws and bring Congress into step with the State legislatures in over 
half of the States in the country that have moved forward on this 
issue.

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