Veterans organizations fighting for medical marijuana access reacted with both hope and skepticism to President Donald Trump’s latest shakeup at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Trump ousted VA Secretary David Shulkin via tweet late Wednesday and announced that he would nominate for the position Dr. Ronny Jackson, 50, an active-duty rear admiral in the Navy who has served for the past three administrations as White House physician.
Shulkin had come under fire from both politicians and veterans who alleged he perpetuated bureaucratic incompetence and misused funds on a European tour.
He also found few fans in the ranks of veterans organizations who claimed Shulkin dropped the ball when it came to medical marijuana.
During his tenure multiple groups launched campaigns demanding the VA lift barriers to veterans’ use and federal research of medical marijuana to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), brain injury, chronic pain and other ailments. This past January, however, Shulkin’s VA declined to consider research into medical cannabis as a legitimate treatment for vets in its care.
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