By Senate Committee Directs VA To Study Medical Marijuana As Opioid Alternative
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday posted the text of two annual funding bills with attached reports containing cannabis and drug policy directives. A report attached to the Fiscal Year 2027 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies appropriations bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to study whether state medical cannabis laws are tied to reduced opioid use among veterans.
The provision states that the Committee “encourages the Department to consider clinical research on medical marijuana,” according to the report text. It also recommends that VA conduct a study on the relationship between state-approved medical marijuana treatment programs, veterans’ access to those programs, and “a reduction in opioid use and abuse among veterans.”
The directive appears under the heading “Medical Marijuana Research” in the committee report. It does not mandate the study but formally encourages the department to pursue it.
The funding bill covers veterans affairs programs for the coming fiscal year. The report language gives Congress’s spending panel a vehicle to shape agency priorities.
VA has not publicly responded to the directive, and the bill must still pass both chambers before the provisions take effect.
Psychedelic Provisions Included In The Same Report
The same VA report directs the veterans affairs secretary to brief Congress within 180 days of enactment on plans to integrate any psychedelic therapies approved by the FDA into the department’s clinical care systems.
The Committee said it is “aware of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ support for psychedelic-assisted care research at VA medical centers, including multisite clinical trials,” according to the report.
The report encourages VA to prioritize research on innovative therapies for treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder, including ibogaine and other psychedelic compounds.
The Committee also encourages prioritizing VA-led research on “rapid-acting novel therapeutics” for PTSD, suicide risk, depression, and related conditions.
Agriculture Bill Report Addresses Hemp And FDA Psychedelic Research
A separate report attached to an appropriations bill covering FDA and the Department of Agriculture encourages interagency cooperation to “improve our understanding of psychedelics,” including MDMA, psilocybin, ibogaine, and 5-MeO-DMT.
That report encourages FDA to work with VA, DoD, and NIH on leveraging clinical trials, and requests an update on such efforts within 180 days of enactment.
The agriculture bill report also includes hemp provisions, encouraging USDA’s Agricultural Research Service to conduct biotechnology and genomics research with capable institutions to elucidate the genetic control of key production and product quality traits in hemp.
The report cites “emerging market potential for U.S. hemp and hemp-based products for a variety of uses.”
Both funding bills now move forward in the Senate appropriations process.
