Veterans are nearly unanimous in their support for research on medical marijuana — and a majority favor legalizing pot for medical use, an American Legion survey found.
The findings from the nation's largest wartime veterans' service organization were released Thursday, and involved more than 1,300 respondents.
According to the survey, 92 percent of veteran households support research into the efficacy of medical cannabis for mental and physical conditions, and 83 percent believe the federal government should legalize medical cannabis nationwide.
Further, 82 percent of those survey indicated they would want to have medical cannabis as a federally legal treatment option.
The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent.
"Support for medical cannabis, and research on medical cannabis is high across veterans and caregivers, all age ranges, gender, political leanings and geography," said a memorandum from Five Corners Strategies, which conducted the survey for the Legion.
Included in the findings, the survey showed:
- Support for medical cannabis research is consistent nationwide, across ages, gender, political affiliation, and geography.
- 60 percent of respondents do not live in states where medical cannabis is currently legal.
- 79 percent of respondents aged 60 or above supported federally legalized medical cannabis.
- 22 percent of veterans stated they are currently using cannabis to treat a medical condition.
- 40 percent of caregivers stated they know a veteran who is using medical cannabis to alleviate a medical condition.
"It is also clear from the survey that veterans are accessing cannabis to assist them in states with and without medical marijuana programs," Five Corners said.
The Legion adopted a resolution last year calling on the Drug Enforcement Administration to reclassify marijuana from its current illicit status to a category "that, at a minimum, will recognize cannabis as a drug with potential medical value," The Washington Post reported.
The resolution also called on the DEA "to license privately funded medical marijuana production operations."
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