Can cannabis help veterans dealing with PTSD? If you visit the website of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, you’ll see that question answered with skepticism. “[R]esearch to date does not support cannabis as an effective PTSD treatment, and some studies suggest cannabis can be harmful, particularly when used for long periods of time,” the agency states — but that could be about to change.
As Jeff Schogol reports at Task & Purpose, one Florida congressman is looking to change VA policy when it comes to cannabis. Task & Purpose cites an amendment introduced to the 2026 military construction appropriations bill by Florida Representative Brian Mast. Mast is himself a veteran who’s very familiar with the effects of warfare: he lost both of his legs in Afghanistan in 2010.
Currently, VA doctors are prohibited from discussing cannabis with their patients. The proposed amendment would make it possible for VA doctors to do so, as long as medical use of cannabis was permitted in the state in question.
“Veterans deserve all options when it comes to healing, and that includes the ability to talk to their doctor about medical cannabis,” Representative Mast told Task & Purpose. “States across the country have approved medical marijuana, and if this can help veterans recovering from injuries stay off prescription narcotics, it will be a godsend.”
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But now that the law is being revised, that boom could go bustThis amendment is part of a larger push to allow veterans and their doctors to have more options for treating PTSD. VFW Magazine noted in 2021 that an FDA-backed study had shown that cannabis can help people dealing with PTSD. More recently, a study conducted by researchers at Rutgers University noted that cannabis use was not detrimental to therapy addressing PTSD.
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