,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #dde  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the
 ,,united ,,states  ,february #ab1      
#bjai,mr4 ,schatz 7for himself and ,mr4 
,kaine7 introduced the following bill2  
which was read twice and referred to the
 ,committee on the ,judiciary  ,a ,,bill
  ,to allow veterans to use1 possess1 or
 transport medical marijuana and to     
discuss the use of medical marijuana    
with a physician of the ,department of  
,veterans ,affairs as authorized by a   
,state or ,indian ,tribe1 and for other 
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,veterans ,medical  
,marijuana ,safe ,harbor ,act4  #b4     
,findings ,congress finds the following3
 7#a7 ,chronic pain affects the veteran 
population1 with almost #fj percent of  
veterans returning from serving in the  
,armed ,forces in the ,middle ,east1 and
 more than #ej percent of older         
veterans1 who are using the health care 
system of the ,department of ,veterans  
,affairs living with some form of       

chronic pain4  7#b7 ,opioids account for
 approximately #fc percent of all drug  
deaths in the ,united ,states4  7#c7 ,in
 #bjaa1 veterans were twice as likely to
 die from accidental opioid overdoses as
 nonveterans4  7#d7 ,states with medical
 cannabis laws have a #bd4h percent     
lower mean annual opioid overdose       
mortality rate compared with ,states    
without medical cannabis laws4  7#e7    
,marijuana and its compounds show       
promise for treating a wide-range of    
diseases and disorders1 including pain  
management4  7#f7 ,medical marijuana in 
,states where it is legal may serve as a
 less harmful alternative to opioids in 
treating veterans4  #c4 ,safe harbor for
 use by veterans of medical marijuana   
7a7 ,safe harbor ,notwithstanding the   
,controlled ,substances ,act 7#ba       
,u4,s4,c4 #hja et seq471 the ,controlled
 ,substances ,import and ,export ,act   
7#ba ,u4,s4,c4 #iea et seq471 or any    
other ,federal law1 it shall not be     
unlawful for--  7#a7 a veteran to use1  

possess1 or transport medical marijuana 
in a ,state or on ,indian land if the   
use1 possession1 or transport is        
authorized and in accordance with the   
law of the applicable ,state or ,indian 
,tribe2  7#b7 a physician to discuss    
with a veteran the use of medical       
marijuana as a treatment if the         
physician is in a ,state or on ,indian  
land where the law of the applicable    
,state or ,indian ,tribe authorizes the 
use1 possession1 distribution1          
dispensation1 administration1 delivery1 
and transport of medical marijuana2 or  
7#c7 a physician to recommend1 complete 
forms for1 or register veterans for     
participation in a treatment program    
involving medical marijuana that is     
approved by the law of the applicable   
,state or ,indian ,tribe4  7b7          
,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7     
,indian land ,the term ,indian land     
means any of the ,indian lands1 as such 
term is defined in section #hbd7;b7 of  
the ,indian ,health ,care ,improvement  

,act 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #afhjn74  7#b7      
,indian ,tribe ,the term ,indian ,tribe 
has the meaning given the term ,indian  
tribe in section #d of the ,indian      
,self-,determination and ,education     
,assistance ,act 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #ecjd74 
7#c7 ,physician ,the term physician     
means a physician appointed by the      
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs under  
section #gdja7a7 of title #ch1 ,united  
,states ,code4  7#d7 ,state ,the term   
,state has the meaning given that term  
in section #ajb of the ,controlled      
,substances ,act 7#ba ,u4,s4,c4 #hjb74  
7#e7 ,veteran ,the term veteran has the 
meaning given that term in section #aja 
of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code4    
7c7 ,sunset ,this section shall cease to
 have force or effect on the date that  
is five years after the date of the     
enactment of this ,act4  #d4 ,studies on
 use of medical marijuana by veterans   
7a7 ,study on effects of medical        
marijuana on veterans in pain  7#a7 ,in 
general ,not later than two years after 

the date of the enactment of this ,act1 
the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs    
shall conduct a study on the effects of 
medical marijuana on veterans in pain4  
7#b7 ,report ,not later than #ahj days  
after the date on which the study       
required under paragraph 7#a7 is        
completed1 the ,secretary shall submit  
to ,congress a report on the study1     
which shall include such recommendations
 for legislative or administrative      
action as the ,secretary considers      
appropriate4  7b7 ,study on use by      
veterans of ,state medical marijuana    
programs  7#a7 ,in general ,not later   
than two years after the date of the    
enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary  
shall conduct a study on the            
relationship between treatment programs 
involving medical marijuana that are    
approved by ,states1 the access of      
veterans to such programs1 and a        
reduction in opioid abuse among         
veterans4  7#b7 ,report ,not later than 
#ahj days after the date on which the   

study required under paragraph 7#a7 is  
completed1 the ,secretary shall submit  
to ,congress a report on the study1     
which shall include such recommendations
 for legislative or administrative      
action as the ,secretary considers      
appropriate4  7c7 ,veteran defined ,in  
this section1 the term veteran has the  
meaning given that term in section #aja 
of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code4    
7d7 ,use of amounts ,for fiscal years   
#bjbj and #bjba1 of the amounts         
appropriated to the ,department of      
,veterans ,affairs--  7#a7 #aj1jjj1jjj  
shall be used to carry out subsection   
7a72 and  7#b7 #e1jjj1jjj shall be used 
to carry out subsection 7b74