VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act of 2023

Madam President, I want to thank the body for this.

So we had a chance to do the right thing here, folks. We did the right thing with Josh Jacobs and veterans' benefits. Now we have the opportunity to pass the Elizabeth Dole Veterans Programs Improvement Act of 2023.

This legislative package includes five veterans bills that were considered and unanimously approved by the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee back in February and delivers on many of our longstanding priorities for our veterans and leading veterans services organizations. I am going to tell you what it does, and then I am going to talk about something specifically.

It expands home- and community-based support for aging and disabled veterans--home- and community-based support.

Among other provisions, it also helps Native Americans and Alaskan Native veterans achieve homeownership by lowering interest rates on VA Native American direct loans and reforming this program so it can work for our veterans--particularly, our Native veterans.

The part that I understand that is controversial is that it directs the VA to explore medical cannabis as an alternative treatment for veterans experiencing chronic pain and symptoms of PTSD.

Why? So that we--but more, importantly, the veterans--have a better understanding of the role medicinal cannabis plays in treating the wounds of war.

The jury is still out on this. This adds a 2-year retrospective study that will take place prior to the VA's beginning clinical trials outlined in this legislation. It grants the Secretary of the VA authority to cancel clinical trials should the VA deem them to be unsafe, based on that retrospective study that I just talked about. It allows the Secretary the authority to cancel trials in the event that it is determined that the trials were exposing participants to excessive risk.

Quite frankly, as I said in my opening, it allows veterans the access to relevant information to make informed decisions about their own health and will shine light on an understudied topic, which is already being used by our veterans nationwide.

So the real question here is, Do I want our veterans to understand the benefits or possibly the nonbenefits of medicinal marijuana or do we want to leave them out in the cold, not understanding what is going on?

The truth is, we all understand the impact opioids have had on this country, and if, in fact, it shows that medical marijuana or marijuana can have impacts that help people in chronic pain, we should know that information so we can pass it along to the veterans. It is as simple as that. The rest of these bills are absolute no-brainers, and I will tell you, I think the cannabis portion of this bill is a no-brainer.

Today, it is time to put political differences aside and do what is right for our veterans.

Look, don't let the haircut fool you--I did not serve in the military. I don't use marijuana. But the truth is, those people who think it works for them, they ought to know, and that is what this bill does.

I would encourage a vote for cloture on this bill. It is a good bill. It is a bill that the veterans service organizations have fought for and want to see happen.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that I be allowed to address the Senate for up to 5 minutes.

Madam President, the legislation that is before us, the Veterans Programs Improvement Act, just came out of the Senate Veterans Affairs' Committee. It is S. 326, as amended.

We are here on a motion for cloture, and this bill will be, as amended, a

combination of bills that are both Republican and Democratic bills, including one from the Senator who is presiding today. It includes a bill from Senator Rounds of South Dakota dealing with the loan process for Native American veterans. It includes a couple of pieces of legislation: the RESPECT Act, to help veterans with mental health or neurological conditions to get caregiver care; the Elizabeth Dole Act, to expand home- and community-based, long-term care programs so that veterans have more choices as they age; and the bill of the Presiding Officer that provides grants to county veterans service officers for outreach to veterans. In addition, it includes what has been perhaps the most discussed aspect of this piece of legislation: a bill that creates the authorization to allow for medical research for marijuana to be conducted--for cannabis to be conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs. But it requires retrospective research to take a look at the research that has already been conducted and to go and conduct research with veterans who are currently using cannabis. The outcome of that study is unknown, but this is an effort to make certain that veterans are not doing something that is harmful to them and to make an informed decision several years from now about the relationship between veterans and cannabis.

The point I would like to make in my few comments today is that I have encouraged my colleagues to offer amendments. There are a lot of items that my particularly Republican colleagues--I understand there are Democratic colleagues who have amendments. While we have had some success this year in amendments coming to the Senate floor, I want to make certain that is the opportunity Republican colleagues and Democratic colleagues have as this bill--if it proceeds, that we have that opportunity.

I had those conversations with both the majority and the minority, and I look forward to enforcing as best I can the capability to make certain my colleagues have that opportunity. If that is not the case, I reserve the right to then oppose this legislation.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 26; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; that following the conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Jacobs nomination postcloture; that all cloture time be considered expired at 12 noon; that the Senate recess following the confirmation vote until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly caucus meetings; that at 2:15 p.m., the Senate vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to Calendar No. 32, S. 326; further, that if the Jacobs nomination is confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's actions.

Mr. President, I am advised by Leader Schumer that for the information of the Senate, there will be one rollcall vote at noon, one at 2:15 p.m., and at least one vote at 4 p.m.

Mr. President, first, to just inform folks, in our arcane processes in the Senate, I have to switch my vote from yes to no--even though I am a strong yes--in order to be able to reconsider this vote.

So I enter a motion to reconsider.

Mr. President, it is regrettable that this bill, which so much helps our veterans, went down. Our veterans need it. It was supported by all of our veterans groups. It had bipartisan, unanimous support in committee, and I hope that some of our Members on the other side of the aisle who didn't vote for it will reconsider.

Order of Procedure

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume legislative session; that the Committee on Environment and Public Works be discharged from further consideration of S.J. Res. 11; that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration; that at 4:20 p.m., the joint resolution be considered read the third time and the Senate vote on passage without any further intervening action or debate; and that, upon disposition of S.J. Res. 11, the Senate resume the motion to proceed to S.J. Res. 4, the Equal Rights Amendment.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that if cloture is invoked on the motion to proceed to S. 326, that notwithstanding rule XXII, the Committee on Environment and Public Works be discharged from further consideration of S.J. Res. 11 and that it be in order for Senator Fischer to make a motion to proceed to S.J.

Res. 11; further, that at 4 p.m., the Senate vote on the motion to proceed; that if the motion to proceed is agreed to, the Senate immediately vote on passage of the joint resolution without any intervening action or debate; and that the time used related to the joint resolution count against the postcloture time on the motion to proceed to S. 326.