Sec. 2. Findings
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Congress finds the following: Chronic pain affects the veteran population, with almost 60 percent of veterans returning from serving in the Armed Forces in the Middle East, and more than 50 percent of older veterans, who are using the health care system of the Department of Veterans Affairs living with some form of chronic pain. In 2020, opioids accounted for approximately 75 percent of all drug overdose deaths in the United States. Veterans are twice as likely to die from opioid related overdoses than nonveterans.
States with recreational cannabis laws experienced a 7.6 percent reduction in opioid-related emergency department visits during the 180-day period after the implementation of such laws. Marijuana and its compounds show promise for pain management and treating a wide-range of diseases and disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder. Medical marijuana in States where it is legal may serve as a less harmful alternative to opioids in treating veterans.