Increase In Marijuana Misuse Diagnoses Among Veterans Is More Complicated Than It Looks, VA Records Reveal (Op-Ed)
“What emerges is not simply a story of rising diagnoses, but a deeper set of concerns about how those diagnoses are defined, applied and ultimately used to shape both policy and perception.” By Nate Landau, Veterans Action Council The number of cannabis use disorder (CUD) diagnoses among veterans has risen substantially within the Department of […]
VA Would Be Required To Study Medical Marijuana’s Benefits For Veterans With PTSD And Pain Under New Congressional Bill
Bipartisan congressional lawmakers introduced a bill to direct the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out studies on the therapeutic potential of marijuana for military veterans with certain conditions. An earlier Senate version of the VA medical cannabis legislation cleared a committee in that chamber and was taken up on the floor for […]
Newly Released VA Records Raise Questions About How ‘Cannabis Use Disorder’ Diagnoses Are Affecting Veterans (Op-Ed)
“Diagnoses are sometimes entered into medical records without…meaningful consideration of medically authorized cannabis use.” By Etienne Fontan, Veterans Action Council The 2013 release of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) introduced cannabis use disorder (CUD) as a new diagnosis, replacing the DSM-4 categories of Cannabis Abuse and Cannabis Dependence with a single, […]
VA Launches New Study Using Psilocybin To Treat Veterans With Depression And PTSD
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is launching a new clinical trial to investigate whether psilocybin can help military veterans who are struggling with treatment-resistant depression. The move follows VA’s recent announcement of a separate trial on MDMA-assisted therapy in treating veterans with severe mental health disorders, including PTSD and alcohol use disorder. The […]