Key Takeaways
- The IAVA survey found strong support for veterans marijuana research, with 91% in favor of medicinal studies.
- Despite interest, a ‘provider conversation gap’ exists, as only 29% of interested veterans discussed marijuana with their doctors.
- Legislation like the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act aims to facilitate research on marijuana’s effects on veterans’ health.
- Current VA policy allows discussion but restricts formal recommendations for medical cannabis by clinicians.
- IAVA highlights the need for clearer information and comfortable conversations between veterans and their providers.
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) released new survey findings last week on October 15th, and the numbers point to a gap that matters for veteran healthcare. Support for cannabis research is high. However, conversations with doctors are not happening at nearly the same rate.
The survey, published by IAVA, gathered responses from IAVA members on alcohol, tobacco and nicotine, and cannabis use. After removing incomplete responses, the final analytic sample included 470 respondents out of 493 total submissions. Because the survey used skip logic, the number of people answering any individual question varied.
What Did the IAVA Survey Find About Veterans and Cannabis Research?
Support for cannabis research among IAVA members was strong across the board. Nearly three-quarters of respondents said they were aware of the proposed federal reclassification of cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III, and 69% agreed with that change based on cannabis’s recognized medical value.
On specific policy questions, the numbers were even clearer. According to IAVA, 91% of respondents agreed that cannabis should be researched for medicinal uses, and 88% said the VA should allow research into cannabis as a treatment option. Support for medicinal legalization reached 87%, notably higher than the 61% who supported recreational legalization.
These figures track with what IAVA found in an earlier member survey. Back in 2019, IAVA reported that 90% of members supported researching cannabis for medicinal purposes, with 55% backing recreational legalization. The gap between medical and recreational support has held steady for years, suggesting this isn’t a passing trend among IAVA’s membership.
Cannabis use itself was common among respondents. The survey recorded 271 people reporting past recreational use and 179 reporting past medicinal use. Among those with any prior cannabis use, 72% said they were somewhat or very interested in using cannabis or cannabinoid products as a treatment option if it were available to them.
Why Aren’t More Veterans Talking to Their Doctors About Medical Cannabis?
This is where the survey gets interesting. Among the 212 respondents who said they were interested in cannabis as a medical treatment option, 70% reported they’d be somewhat or extremely comfortable discussing it with a primary care doctor. Only 29% said they’d actually had that conversation with their current doctor.
IAVA called this a “provider conversation gap,” and the description fits. Comfort with the topic is not the problem. Something else is keeping the conversation from happening.
The survey itself doesn’t measure the specific reasons behind that gap. IAVA’s own analysis points to “unmet need for clearer information, stronger evidence, and more comfortable provider conversations” rather than a single cause. It’s reasonable to ask whether veterans worry about how disclosure might affect their records or benefits, or whether they simply don’t know their doctor is allowed to discuss the topic at all. The survey data doesn’t answer that question directly, and it would be a mistake to guess at motivations IAVA didn’t measure.
What is clear is the policy backdrop. According to IAVA, current VA policy permits doctors to discuss cannabis use with patients. But VA clinicians remain restricted from recommending medical cannabis or completing documentation required for state-authorized medical cannabis programs. A veteran willing to talk may find the conversation has a hard ceiling built into it.
What Would the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act Change?
IAVA’s policy recommendations point directly at legislation Beard Bros has covered before. The VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act of 2026 (H.R. 10655), reintroduced by Reps. Lou Correa (D-CA) and Jack Bergman (R-MI), would direct the VA’s Office of Research and Development to run an observational study on veterans with chronic pain and PTSD, followed by clinical trials if the VA determines it’s ready.
As we previously reported on, the bill requires researchers to study whole-plant cannabis and extracts across varying THC-to-CBD ratios, not just isolated compounds. It also tracks both potential benefits and risks, including opioid and benzodiazepine use, alcohol consumption, sleep, pain, mood, and suicidal ideation.
IAVA CEO Kyleanne Hunter called the bill long overdue, noting the organization has pushed for medicinal cannabis research since 2017. Earlier versions of this bill cleared House committee votes in 2018, 2020, and 2021 but never became law, so bipartisan backing alone hasn’t guaranteed passage.
What Other Legislation Addresses the Doctor-Patient Gap Directly?
Research funding is one piece of the puzzle. IAVA’s policy recommendations also point to bills aimed at the conversation itself, since more data won’t help veterans much if their doctors still can’t act on it.
The Veterans Equal Access Act (H.R. 1384) would authorize VA providers to issue cannabis recommendations and complete documentation required for veterans enrolled in state medical cannabis programs. Right now, that paperwork barrier sits between a willing doctor and a patient who wants formal guidance rather than guesswork.
The Veterans Cannabis Use for Safe Healing Act (H.R. 966) takes a different angle, aiming to protect veterans from having their VA benefits denied over participation in state-authorized medical cannabis programs, while also strengthening requirements around clinical discussion and informed treatment planning.
IAVA has framed its support for this legislation around a specific goal: making sure veterans aren’t discouraged from disclosing cannabis use to their providers. Whether that goal is met depends on whether these bills move further than past versions did.
What Should Veterans and Clinicians Take From This Survey?
The survey doesn’t tell veterans whether cannabis is effective or safe for any particular condition, and it shouldn’t be read that way. What it does show is a clear mismatch between interest in research, comfort discussing the topic, and the rate at which those conversations are actually happening.
For clinicians, the findings suggest that veterans interested in cannabis as treatment may be waiting for an opening rather than avoiding the subject outright. IAVA has called for VA-validated, evidence-based clinical resources so providers can speak to benefits, risks, and drug interactions with more confidence. Until the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act or similar research mandates produce usable data, doctors are left working with limited formal guidance regardless of how willing they are to engage.
It’s worth remembering who this survey represents. Respondents were IAVA members, not a random sample of all veterans, and the group skewed male, White, and college-educated, with 98% reporting an honorable discharge. The findings describe this specific population’s views and shouldn’t be generalized to every veteran without that context in mind.
Beard Bros will keep tracking how the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act and related bills move through Congress, along with any further data on how veterans and their doctors navigate these conversations going forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
An IAVA survey of 470 members found strong support for cannabis research: 91% back medical cannabis research and 88% back VA-specific studies, compared with just 61% who support recreational legalization.
IAVA’s survey found that 70% of veterans interested in medical cannabis felt comfortable discussing it with a primary care doctor, yet only 29% had done so. The survey didn’t examine why, but IAVA points to a need for clearer information and more comfortable conversations with providers.
IAVA reports that current VA policy lets doctors discuss cannabis use with veterans. However, it bars VA clinicians from formally recommending medical cannabis or completing the paperwork that state-authorized medical cannabis programs require.
H.R. 10655, the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act, would require the VA to study cannabis use among veterans with chronic pain and PTSD. The research would track benefits and risks, including effects on opioid use, sleep, pain, and mental health.
No. The survey covers 470 voluntary IAVA respondents, mostly male, White, and college-educated, so its results reflect this group rather than all veterans.
