Title: VA Survey of Cannabis Use Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
VA Survey of Cannabis Use Act
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide for a survey of veterans and VA health care providers regarding cannabis use by veterans.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2676 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2676

 To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to seek to enter into an 
 agreement with a federally funded research and development center to 
  conduct surveys to measure cannabis use by veterans, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 10, 2019

Mr. Moulton (for himself, Mr. Gaetz, Mr. Soto, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, 
and Mr. Crist) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to seek to enter into an 
 agreement with a federally funded research and development center to 
  conduct surveys to measure cannabis use by veterans, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``VA Survey of Cannabis Use Act''.

SEC. 2. SURVEY ON CANNABIS USE BY VETERANS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall seek to 
enter into an agreement with a federally funded research and 
development center to conduct surveys nationwide to measure cannabis 
use by veterans.
    (b) Selection.--The Secretary shall select a federally funded 
research and development center under subsection (a) from among such 
centers that have--
            (1) expertise and a record of independent, peer-reviewed 
        publications with respect to--
                    (A) behavioral health research; and
                    (B) conducting independent evaluations of mental 
                health programs using multidisciplinary methods; and
            (2) an in-depth knowledge of all State medicinal marijuana 
        programs and the ability to tailor the surveys under subsection 
        (a) accordingly.
    (c) Conduct of Surveys.--The surveys conducted under subsection (a) 
shall meet the following criteria:
            (1) One survey shall collect information from veterans who 
        use cannabis, including both veterans enrolled in the health 
        care system established under section 1705(a) of title 38, 
        United States Code, and veterans who are not so enrolled.
            (2) One survey shall collect information from health care 
        providers of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
            (3) Each survey shall be conducted in a manner that ensures 
        the anonymity of the individual being surveyed.
    (d) Matters Surveyed.--
            (1) Veterans.--The survey described in subsection (c)(1) 
        shall cover the following subjects:
                    (A) The current medicinal cannabis use by the 
                veteran, or the intent or desire by the veteran to use 
                medicinal cannabis, and the reasons for such use, 
                intent, or desire.
                    (B) The conditions, symptoms, or both, that the 
                veteran uses cannabis to treat.
                    (C) The types of cannabis and cannabis products 
                used by the veteran, including with respect to--
                            (i) tetrahydrocannabinol or cannabidiol 
                        content;
                            (ii) indica, sativa, mixes, or hybrids; and
                            (iii) flower, oils, hash or kief, 
                        concentrates (wax, shatter, budder), edibles, 
                        drinks, tinctures, and topical ointments.
                    (D) Other medications taken by the veteran 
                concurrently with cannabis and any medications the 
                veteran stopped using because of the use of cannabis.
                    (E) How the veteran is self-administering medicinal 
                cannabis, including--
                            (i) the method;
                            (ii) the typical times each day the veteran 
                        self-administers;
                            (iii) the frequency of different products 
                        per day and for what condition, symptom, or 
                        both; and
                            (iv) the amounts per product.
                    (F) The ratings and descriptions of the 
                effectiveness of using cannabis to treat conditions, 
                symptoms, or both.
                    (G) Any experiences with side effects.
                    (H) The number of different cannabis products tried 
                before settling on the current product.
                    (I) The typical source of medical cannabis (such as 
                a single dispensary, multiple dispensaries, mail order, 
                or other source), the typical purchase frequency, and 
                the typical amount purchased.
                    (J) The sources of information the veteran uses for 
                products and dosages.
                    (K) Factors that influence the choice of the 
                veteran for using a chosen product (such as with 
                respect to the levels of tetrahydrocannabinol or 
                cannabidiol content, cost, availability, consistency, 
                or strain).
                    (L) Any other matters determined appropriate.
            (2) Health care providers.--The survey described in 
        subsection (c)(2) shall cover the following subjects:
                    (A) A description of the experience of the health 
                care provider with respect to patients using medicinal 
                cannabis.
                    (B) A description by the health care provider of 
                how medicinal cannabis is changing patients.
                    (C) A description of how treatment plans have been 
                modified after a veteran discloses using cannabis.
                    (D) Any documentation of the products, dosages, or 
                frequency of such cannabis use in the medical records 
                of the veteran.
                    (E) Reporting of adverse events.
                    (F) The sources of information used by the health 
                care provider with respect to cannabis products and the 
                medical effectiveness of cannabis.
                    (G) Any other matters determined appropriate.
    (e) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on 
Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the House of Representatives a 
report on the results of the surveys conducted under this section.
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