“What is the Veterans Action Council?”

 

The Veterans Action Council (V.A.C.) is an all-volunteer group of international veterans and venerated professionals in our respective fields. We were founded as a buddy check during quarantine in July 2020 via social media and had our first meeting in August 2020. 

 

What are you doing? 

 

The V.A.C. 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 V.A.C. “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The Green Paper is a historical document of great significance, and it was first submitted to the Clinton Administration in 1993 as a policy recommendation for how the federal government should pursue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 hosted side events at the United Nations in March 2022 and 2023 in Vienna, Austria. We partnered with the National Cannabis Industries Association (NCIA) for in-person Lobby Days in Washington, D.C., in Sept. 2022 and May 2023. Our V.A.C. volunteers met with the Cannabis Caucus, Veterans Affairs, Armed Services, and Judicial Committee Members on Capitol Hill.

 

Who is working with us?

 

Multiple veteran organizations have contributed to the work we have been able to put forward over the years. These span the globe. 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, BattleBrothersFoundation, Virginians for Medical Cannabis, NYNGO, and many other organizations allies. 

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V.A.C. Code of Conduct

 

Agreed upon unanimously, 2/25/2021

 

Integrity, Respect, Accountability, Transparency

 

-V.A.C. 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, V.A.C. 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.

 

-The V.A.C. 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 V.A.C. activities.

 

Strive to uphold those practices and assist other V.A.C. Members in upholding the highest standards of conduct. 

 

Personal Gain 

 

Exercise the powers invested for the good of all V.A.C. 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 V.A.C. members to appropriate and effective services without discrimination based on the organization’s volunteer makeup 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 V.A.C. 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 V.A.C. members.