1. Short title This Act may be cited as the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act of 2018 . 2. Conduct of research into effects of cannabis on health outcomes of certain veterans (a) Research required In carrying out the responsibilities of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs under section 7303 of title 38, United States Code, the Secretary may conduct and support research relating to the efficacy and safety of forms of cannabis described in subsection (c) on the health outcomes of covered veterans diagnosed with chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other conditions the Secretary determines appropriate. (b) Data preservation Research conducted pursuant to subsection (a) shall include a mechanism to ensure the preservation of all data, including all data sets, collected or used for purposes of the research required by subsection (a) in a manner that will facilitate further research. (c) Forms of cannabis To be researched The forms of cannabis described in this subsection are— (1) varying forms of cannabis, including— (A) full plants and extracts; (B) at least three different strains of cannabis with significant variants in phenotypic traits and various ratios of tet­ra­hy­dro­can­nab­i­nol and cannabidiol in chemical composition; and (C) other chemical analogs of tet­ra­hy­dro­can­nab­i­nol; and (2) varying methods of cannabis delivery, including topical application, combustible and non-combustible inhalation, and ingestion. (d) Implementation Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall— (1) develop a plan to implement this section and submit such plan to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Senate