Titus helps launch bill to allow VA patients, doctors to discuss marijuana

By Amber Phillips

Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015 | 2 a.m.

Nevadans will soon have access to medical marijuana, but veterans could be left out of the mix.

Under Nevada law, residents with specific ailments can request a medical marijuana card from their doctor.

But veterans who use their government-provided doctor don't have that option. The Department of Veteran Affairs prevents its doctors from approving cannabis as a treatment option.

The VA is taking its cue from the federal government, which lists marijuana as a Schedule I drug — as dangerous and addictive as heroin — despite the fact Nevada and 22 other states have legalized marijuana in some form.

Rep. Dina Titus, a Las Vegas Democrat, joined eight of her House colleagues Tuesday to introduce a bill that would overturn the VA's prohibition on doctors signing off on pot for patients.

"With so many of our brave service members returning from battle with significant injuries and medical needs, we must provide access to the very best care available," she said in a statement of the bipartisan bill.

Titus, who sits on the Veterans Affairs committee, has consistently championed protections for the medical marijuana industry.

She's supported bills to give legal medical marijuana businesses better access to banking. She's also championed amendments to prohibit the federal government from interfering with the states that have legalized medical marijuana.

Nevada voters OK'd the drug for medical use in 2000, but only in 2013 did state lawmakers approve statewide dispensaries and labs. Two years later, dispensaries are finalizing complex details and regulations.

Medical marijuana dispensaries in Clark County are expected to open their doors in the next two to three months.

Nevada law lists eight specific conditions residents can use medical marijuana for, including cancer and glaucoma. Post-traumatic stress disorder also is covered under the law after a veteran petitioned the state to include it, said Pam Graber, a spokesperson for Nevada's medical marijuana program.

Titus and her fellow Democrats first introduced the Veterans Equal Access Act in November, but it failed to advance, so they're trying again this Congress.

The bill's chances are unclear, but marijuana does bring together a unique blend of politicians in Washington: Titus is co-sponsoring the bill alongside colleagues such as Tea Party star Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan.