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Department of Veterans Affairs Releases Official Policy on Medical Marijuana Use

By KFBB News Team

Story Created: Aug 2, 2010 at 6:30 PM MDT

Story Updated: Aug 2, 2010 at 6:30 PM MDT

"The federal government still does not recognize the medical use of marijuana in terms the law, and so you're engaging in an activity that the federal government doesn't see as legal," said Carl Jensen, a Great Falls attorney.

But in a directive released on July 22nd, The Department of Veterans Affairs is hoping to make that grey area between V.A. doctors and medical marijuana patients a little more black and white.

Jensen has always advised his clients to check with their V.A. benefits before beginning medical marijuana.

And while he hasn't seen serious problems between the V.A. and patients here in Montana, for Jensen, it's good to see an official written policy allowing medical marijuana use in the 14 states where the drug is already legal.

V.A.staff would add the use of medical marijuana to a "Non-VA medication section" of a patient's medical record, giving doctors a chance to discuss medical issues or conflicts of treatments, and letting patients openly share that they use medical marijuana without the fear of losing benefits.

And while it's a big step toward the federal government accepting medical marijuana, it isn't a permanent change.

"Things can always change, they could change their position a month from now, 6 months from now, a year, next president. Its hard to know. Hopefully at sometime in the future, they will make that step towards basically making marijuana legislation in terms of medication a state issue and not a federal issue," said Jensen.

For a complete copy of the directive, visit

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Yukie Yamada said on Friday, Aug 6 at 2:36 AM

Complaint made to Republican Congress emAppropriations: Calvert FLA, Emerson MO, Rogers KY, La Tourette OH about drug/wire terror in Hawaii/CA with med marijuana criminal links to Brian Murphy Patients without Time

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