“What is the Veterans Action Council (VAC)?”
The Veterans Action Council (VAC) is an all-volunteer group of international veterans and venerated professionals in our respective fields. We founded on a buddy check during quarantine in July 2020 via social media and had our first meeting in August 2020.
What are you doing?
The Veterans Action Council (VAC) promotes and coordinates efforts on issues facing veterans' access to alternative treatments and therapies, promoting veterans' physical and mental health and their families. Our first order of business was to get down on paper what we were all experiencing in our corners of the country, each of us residing in states with various cannabis legalization/access. That letter led to us creating and subsequently publishing the VAC “Green Paper.”
The Green Paper is a historical document of great significance, and it was first submitted to the Clinton Administration in 1993 as a policy recommendation for how the federal government should pursue the medical cannabis issue. Alice O’Leary Randall entrusted us with this document to include work done since it was initially submitted. The current iteration includes the veteran component of the cannabis movement and works at the United Nations that culminated in that body recognizing the medical utility of cannabis on December 2nd, 2020.
Our Green Paper has since been submitted to the United Nations, where we held our first intervention as a group in April 2021, and an additional letter for their consideration. We submitted our green paper to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy when they petitioned the public for comment on their drug policies and how specific demographics have been especially negatively impacted by them. The trifecta for our Green Paper came when the “Sponsoring Offices” of the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act petitioned the public for comment on their draft proposal for legislation ending the federal prohibition of cannabis.
We held two side events at the United Nations in March 2022. From there, we have partnered with the NCIA for lobbying in Washington DC in September 2022. We have 20+ meetings on Capitol Hill scheduled.
Who is working with you?
Multiple veteran organizations have contributed to the work we have been able to put forward over the last year. These span coast to coast and international as well. In addition to our fellow veterans, we are fortunate to call LEAP, Patients Out of Time, the Cannabis Nurses Association, the Scottsdale Research Institute, MAPS, and many other organizations allies.
VAC Code of Conduct
Agreed upon unanimously, 2/25/2021
Integrity, Respect, Accountability, Transparency
-Veterans Action Council (VAC) promotes and coordinates efforts on issues facing Veterans' access to alternative treatments and therapies promoting the physical and mental health of veterans and their families.
-To achieve its purposes, VAC must support an internal environment that nurtures its members and encourages trust, open communication, and consensus-building.
-Our member code of ethics and conduct outlines our expectations regarding the behavior of our volunteers towards other members, participants, stakeholders, and society.
-Our organization stands for the core values of synergy, honesty, and integrity. Open communication and expression should be guided by the desire for a respectful, safe, and collaborative working environment.
-Veterans Action Council is committed to:
-Treating every individual with dignity and respect;
-Being responsible for our decisions and outcomes;
-Acting conscientiously toward the communities in which we operate and for the benefit of
the communities that we serve;
-Aptly handling genuine or perceived conflicts of interest prudently; and
-Treating our volunteers with respect, fairness, and good faith
Accountability
Exercise reasonable care, good faith, and due diligence in organizational affairs.
Fully disclose, at the earliest opportunity, information that may result in a perceived or actual conflict of interest.
Fully disclose, at the earliest opportunity, information of the fact that would have significance in Council decision-making.
Professional Excellence
Maintain a professional level of courtesy, respect, and objectivity in all Veterans Action Council activities.
Strive to uphold those practices and assist other Council Members in upholding the highest standards of conduct.
Personal Gain
Exercise the powers invested for the good of all Council Members of the organization rather than for personal benefit or that of a nonprofit.
Equal Opportunity
Ensure the right of all Council Members to appropriate and effective services without discrimination based on geography, political, religious, or socio-economic characteristics of the state or region represented.
Ensure the right of all Council members to appropriate and effective services without discrimination based on the organization’s volunteer make-up with respect to gender, sexual orientation, national origin, race, religion, age, political affiliation, or disability, in accordance with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
Confidential Information
Respect the confidentiality of sensitive information known due to VAC volunteer service.
Collaboration and Cooperation
Respect the diversity of opinions as expressed or acted upon by the Veterans Action Council, committees, and membership, and formally register dissent as appropriate during our General Membership meeting.
Promote collaboration, cooperation, and partnership among Council Members.
