Minnesota Bill Hopes to Streamline Medical Marijuana for Veterans

Since veterans cannot obtain a medical marijuana evaluation through Veterans Affairs doctors, they have to pay out of pocket at another doctor for certification. Representative Jack Considine introduced legislation that makes veterans exempt from needing an outside doctor’s recommendation.

All they’d have to do is show their diagnosis from the VA, proving that there is a qualifying condition, The Bemidji Pioneer says. The cost for veterans now can easily be a few hundred bucks.

“Affordability and accessibility are huge problems with the program right now. A lot of veterans live on fixed incomes, some of those not very high,” according to the founder of Minnesota Veterans for Cannabis, Jeremy Sankey.

It isn’t known when the bill will be heard or voted on yet.