Sanders, Buttigieg Would Support Medical Cannabis for Veterans as President

On Veteran’s Day, Democratic presidential hopefuls Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Mayor Pete Buttigieg each announced support for allowing military veterans to access medical cannabis, according to an MG report.

Sanders, who has said he would legalize cannabis federally via an executive order within his first 100 days in office, said on his website that the nation has a “moral obligation to provide the best quality care” for veterans, which includes allowing Veterans Affairs doctors to recommend cannabis to their patients. Additionally, Sanders would allow servicemembers discharged from military service for cannabis possession to apply for a discharge upgrade “so they can become eligible for the full complement of services and benefits provided by the VA.”

Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana and Navy veteran, said that his administration would “work with the VA to allow medical cannabis for service-connected diagnoses.”

“Pete will push for the legalization of marijuana on the federal level and nationwide,” the post titled “Our Shared Duty” says.

“In the meantime, recognizing the benefits of marijuana for certain service-connected issues like post-traumatic stress, Pete will support legislation that will empower VA physicians to issue medical cannabis recommendations to augment a veterans’ broader treatment plan, accordance with the laws of states where it is legal, and to conduct studies on the use of marijuana to treat pain.” – “Our Shared Duty,” Pete Buttigieg campaign website

Last month, during a campaign stop in Las Vegas, Nevada which included a visit to a dispensary, Buttigieg told the Associated Press that he has used cannabis “a handful of times a long time ago” and said he supported the end to federal prohibition.