H.R. 189 Summary

• Requests the Department of Health, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Hawaii Department of Agriculture, University of Hawaii schools, Tripler Military Hospital, and other stakeholders to submit reports by 20 days before the 2015 Regular Session on veterans' access to medical marijuana.

• Calls for federal legislation to facilitate veterans' access to medical marijuana for treating PTSD and severe anxiety disorders, and to enable VA physicians to prescribe medical marijuana to veterans.

• Requests reports on establishing cooperatives where homeless veterans may live and grow marijuana for medical purposes, with potential features including rural/agricultural locations, multiple dwellings, food cultivation, therapy services, and care facilities.

• Notes that approximately 300,000 veterans have been diagnosed with PTSD, many are self-medicating with marijuana, and that six states (California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, New Mexico, and Oregon) have already approved medical marijuana for PTSD treatment.

• Proposes veteran cooperatives could provide housing, income sources, social support, and integrate with existing "Veterans to Farmers" training programs at the University of Hawaii.