Press Release: AACPN Launches Veterans Equal Access Initiative, Endorses Federal Legislation to Expand Healthcare Access for Veterans

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AACPN Launches Veterans Equal Access Initiative, Endorses Federal Legislation to Expand Healthcare Access for Veterans

New national initiative supports both the Veterans Equal Access Act and the Veterans Equal Access Amendment to restore equal healthcare access for veterans receiving care through the Department of Veterans Affairs

WASHINGTON, July 29, 2026 — The American Alternative Care Policy Network (AACPN) today announced the launch of its Veterans Equal Access Initiative, a national policy effort dedicated to ensuring that veterans receiving care through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs have access to the same physician-guided treatment options available to similarly situated civilians in states where medical cannabis is legal.

The initiative reflects AACPN's broader mission of expanding access to safe, legal, scientifically validated treatment options while modernizing healthcare policy to keep pace with evolving medical evidence. Although current federal legislation focuses on medical cannabis, AACPN views Veterans Equal Access as a broader healthcare principle: military service should never result in fewer treatment options than those available to similarly situated civilians.

As part of the initiative, AACPN has formally endorsed both the Veterans Equal Access Act (H.R. 1384), which would permanently authorize Department of Veterans Affairs physicians to recommend medical cannabis and assist veterans with enrollment in state medical cannabis programs where permitted by law, and the Veterans Equal Access Amendment to the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 8469), which would provide those same protections through the annual appropriations process. Together, these endorsements reflect AACPN's commitment to advancing both immediate legislative progress and the broader principle of equal healthcare access for veterans.

"Veterans shouldn't come home only to discover they have fewer healthcare options than the civilians they defended," said Adrian Bruneau, Director of Political & Public Affairs for AACPN and a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran. "This is about keeping faith with the men and women who served. Congress has an opportunity to correct a glaring inequity, and it should."

"AACPN exists to expand access to safe, legal, evidence-based healthcare," said Amanda J. Parker, Director of Alternative Care & Community Advocacy. "The Veterans Equal Access Initiative reflects our belief that every patient deserves the opportunity to pursue the treatment that gives them the greatest chance to heal. Veterans have earned that opportunity many times over."

"Healthcare policy should remove unnecessary barriers—not create them," said John R. Gordon, Director of Healthcare Policy & External Affairs for AACPN. "Veterans Equal Access is about restoring parity between veterans and civilians. The physician-patient relationship should be guided by science, medical judgment, and individual patient needs—not by federal restrictions."

"Good healthcare gives patients the information they need to make informed decisions with the clinicians they trust," said Jonathan 'Gio' Stelly, Director of Healthcare Innovation & Patient Outcomes. "These reforms would allow veterans to work with their VA providers to explore every legal treatment option available to them and choose the course of care that best meets their individual needs."

AACPN encourages veterans, healthcare professionals, veterans service organizations, policymakers, and members of the public to learn more about the Veterans Equal Access Initiative and support federal legislation that restores equal healthcare access for the men and women who have served our nation.

For more information on the Veterans Equal Access Initiative please visit: https://www.aacpn.org/veterans-equal-access

About AACPN

The American Alternative Care Policy Network is a nonprofit healthcare policy organization dedicated to advancing the safe, legal and scientifically validated integration of alternative, integrative and emerging healthcare treatments into the American healthcare system. AACPN focuses particularly on improving treatment options and healthcare access for veterans, first responders, trauma survivors and others living with chronic pain, behavioral health challenges and the long-term effects of physical or psychological trauma. The organization advocates for evidence-based policies that expand patient choice, improve healthcare access and support continued innovation in healthcare delivery.

MEDIA CONTACT

John Gordon

Director of Healthcare Policy and External Affairs

American Alternative Care Policy Network

JRGordon@aacpn.org

310-344-2331

www.aacpn.org

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