VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act of 2018

To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to use the authority of the Secretary to conduct and support research on the efficacy and safety of medicinal cannabis, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act of 2018 2. Conduct of research into effects of cannabis on health outcomes of certain veterans (a) Research In carrying out the responsibilities of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs under section 7303 of title 38, United States Code, the Secretary may conduct and support research relating to the efficacy and safety of forms of cannabis described in subsection (c) on the health outcomes of covered veterans diagnosed with chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other conditions the Secretary determines appropriate. The Secretary shall ensure that such research is conducted in accordance with applicable regulations relating to the oversight of research, including such regulations prescribed by the Office of Research and Development of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Health and Human Services (including through the National Institute on Drug Abuse), the Food and Drug Administration, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the National Institutes of Health. (b) Data preservation Research conducted pursuant to subsection (a) shall include a mechanism to ensure the preservation of all data, including all data sets, collected or used for purposes of the research required by subsection (a) in a manner that will facilitate further research. (c) Forms of cannabis To be researched The forms of cannabis described in this subsection are— (1) varying forms of cannabis, including— (A) full plants and extracts; (B) at least three different strains of cannabis with significant variants in phenotypic traits and various ratios of tet­ra­hy­dro­can­nab­i­nol and cannabidiol in chemical composition; and (C) other chemical analogs of tet­ra­hy­dro­can­nab­i­nol; and (2) varying methods of cannabis delivery, including topical application, combustible and non-combustible inhalation, and ingestion. (d) Implementation If the Secretary conducts and supports research under subsection (a), the Secretary shall— (1) before conducting and supporting such research, develop a plan to implement this section and submit such plan to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate; and (2) issue any requests for proposals the Secretary determines appropriate for such implementation. (e) Reports During the five-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit periodically, but not less frequently than annually, to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate reports on— (1) the implementation of this section; or (2) the rationale of the Secretary with respect to determining not to implement this section. (f) Covered veteran defined In this section, the term covered veteran May 18, 2018 Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed

Summary: VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act of 2018 This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to conduct and support research on the efficacy and safety of certain forms of cannabis and cannabis delivery for veterans enrolled in the VA health care system diagnosed with conditions such as chronic pain or post-traumatic stress disorder. Collected data shall be preserved in a manner that facilitates further research.