He was dismissed from the school, where he had served as dean since 2009, for using the non-psychoactive CBD. Plans to expand research and allow VA doctors to prescribe the drug are under consideration as lawmakers look toward their year-end work. The flurry of legislative activity comes as the Department of Veterans Affairs' leadership and reform goals remain unsettled. The idea has the support of key House Democrats and Republicans, and could produce wide-ranging information on the medical benefits of cannabis. John Boehner joined a cannabis cultivation firm this week and said his previous opposition to medical marijuana has "evolved." VA officials say policies encouraging veterans to talk honestly about marijuana use with doctors won't make the information available for prosecutors. Updated guidance reminds VA physicians that they should talk to veterans about marijuana use but not as a path to recommend its use. Veterans groups are pushing for further study into the benefits of marijuana, touting it as a safer alternative to opioid therapy, often used to treat chronic pain. The VA should heed that call. The poll, conducted for the American Legion, gives supporters another lobbying tool to persuade lawmakers to expand research options. Department officials have said federal law marking marijuana as illegal limits their research options. Load More