The United States Department of Veterans Affairs will now be taking a second look at a policy that keeps veterans from using medical marijuana for pain management. As of now, 14 states allow the use of medical marijuana, but still the United States government continues to outlaw use of the plant. This has created a paradox in which some individuals are within their own state laws, but are breaking federal laws by using medical marijuana and could face federal persecution.
Under the new rules, veterans can be denied prescription painkillers if they are found to be using illegal drugs. Up until now, those drugs included marijuana in any form. However, the Department of Veterans Affairs will still not permit veterans in states that do not allow medical marijuana to use the natural painkiller, but veterans who are living in medical marijuana states will be able to use it as a painkiller and still receive other prescription painkillers if their situation calls for it.
The legalization or de-regulation of marijuana has been a hot topic in recent years in many different states. Although no state has ever come close to completely legalizing marijuana, a total of 14 states now allow the substance to be prescribed medically when the situation calls for it. The Department of Veterans Affairs shows that the federal government may be more willing to cooperate on the issue in the future.
A number of other natural painkillers are available, but are not as effective as marijuana. These substances include Capsaicin, shingles and neuropathy.