U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand wants the Department of Veterans Affairs to allow its doctors to discuss medical marijuana with patients in states where medical marijuana is legal.
Gillibrand is holding a news conference at her Manhattan office Sunday to urge a change in the current VA policy.
The policy prohibits VA doctors from recommending medical marijuana as a treatment option to veterans, even in states like New York where medical marijuana is legal. The policy is up for renewal Monday.
Gillibrand, a New York Democrat, says veterans who live in states where medical marijuana is legal should be able to talk to their doctor about it as a treatment option.
But Calvina Fay, executive director of the Drug Free America Foundation, says research shows that marijuana is a harmful drug.
