Bloglander

Almost everyone in America thinks that veterans should be able to use marijuana to treat post-traumatic stress disorder.

That’s the takeaway from a new poll from Quinnipiac University that found that 87 percent of American voters support allowing U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs doctors to prescribe marijuana in “pill form” to veterans suffering from PTSD.

The finding is notable because even though about half of U.S. states have legalized marijuana for medical purposes, the VA doesn’t allow physicians to prescribe, let alone discuss, medical marijuana. That’s because the federal government doesn’t recognize marijuana as having any legitimate medical benefit. Although Washington lawmakers updated the state’s medical marijuana law last year to make PTSD a qualifying condition, Congress has refused to ease restrictions that would allow VA doctors to recommend medicinal pot to vets.

Among other findings from the poll:

• 89 percent of voters support allowing patients to use medical marijuana if it’s prescribed by a doctor. 
• 54 percent of voters said that marijuana should be outright legalized. Sixty percent of men support legalization, while 48 percent of women do. 
• 62 percent of Republicans oppose legalization and 57 percent of voters over 65 oppose legalization.