As part of the large-scale spending bill, a powerful House committee cleared two amendments on psychedelics and another measure regarding labeling pharmaceuticals to include information about marijuana interactions.
The House Rules Committee approved four appropriations measures on Saturday. They also proposed numerous amendments. This sets the stage for the floor vote as the deadline to fund the government at the end this month is rapidly approaching. The drug policy reform could be attached to two of the spending bills.
The committee approved two amendments led by the GOP on psychedelics to a bill addressing funding for Department of Defense.
One bill, sponsored by Reps. Morgan Luttrell and Dan Crenshaw of Texas (R), would allocate $15 million to the DOD for “Psychedelic Medical Clinical Trials.”
Crenshaw’s second proposal would have the Defense Health Agency “submit a detailed report to Congress regarding options for ensuring that active-duty military personnel suffering from Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) can participate in clinical studies under the Department of Veterans Affairs to study the effectiveness of psychedelic drugs.”
The Rules Committee had previously approved the amendments, but disagreements among legislators over the appropriations measure prevented the chamber’s approval of a rule that would have allowed the floor to debate to begin. This forced them to restart. The panel once again prevented separate marijuana-related proposals from moving forward.
The committee approved a cannabis-related amendment to the spending bill for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, sponsored by Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-VA.
Summary: The measure “express[es] [the] intent that FDA start requiring drug manufactures to label prescribed pharmaceuticals if there are any known drug interactions between marijuana and the drug.”
It is not clear what the motivation is behind this measure, nor is it possible to require such labeling due to the limited knowledge of drug interactions that may occur with Schedule I substances. It’s possible that it could be modelled after warning labels regarding alcohol consumption while taking certain pharmaceuticals.
Two of the amendments, which the Rules Committee prevented from being advanced as part of the Ag FDA and DOD bills, would have prevented federal funding for the testing of marijuana in the states that have legalized the use of marijuana. Rep. Robert Garcia’s (D-CA) similar versions of the measure were excluded from spending bills for Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs.
The committee also refused to order an amendment from Reps. Blumenauer, Mikie Sherrill and Dave Joyce to the DOD legislation that would have stopped THC testing to enlist military recruits.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-FL, had originally submitted a similar proposal to the DOD Spending Bill but withdrew before it could even be considered.
Garcia proposed an earlier version of the amendment to prevent marijuana testing for federal job applicants in a spending measure for Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies. This amendment was also not allowed to be brought to the floor of the House, despite the fact that bipartisan legislators had applauded the passage by the House of the underlying legislation , which included separate marijuana measures.
The House passed two amendments that would allow VA doctors the ability to recommend medical cannabis to veterans. Another would encourage the research of the therapeutic potential of psychedelics such as psilocybin or MDMA.
The Senate Appropriations Committee adopted a measure in its version of MilCon/VA legislation which would allow VA doctors to make medical marijuana recommendations. This will increase the chances that the reform makes it into the final package of laws to be signed.
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A report that was attached to the spending bill of the House Appropriations Committee includes a section that states that “VA clarified that VA statutes and regulations do not specifically prohibit a veteran who earns income from state-legalized marijuana activities from receiving a certificate proving eligibility for VA home loans.”
In July, the Senate passed a defense bill that included provisions prohibiting intelligence agencies such as the CIA or NSA from denying security clearances solely based on past marijuana usage. Other cannabis proposals such as that of Sen. Brian Schatz, D-HI, to allow medical marijuana use by vets , did not make it into the National Defense Authorization Act.
The Rules Committee blocked more than a dozen amendments on marijuana and psychedelics in the House version of NDAA. This happened in July. This includes a measure that was introduced by Garcia which would have prevented denials of security clearances to federal workers due to prior cannabis use.
Last week, the House Oversight and Accountability Committee approved a bipartisan standalone bill that would prohibit the denial or refusal of federal employment and security clearances because of a candidate’s past marijuana usage.
The Senate Banking Committee is set to mark up a bipartisan marijuana banking legislation on Wednesday.
California Gov. Says Psychedelics have a ‘profound’ healing potential, but He’s Not Decided On Bill Legalization As Poll Shows Majority Of Voters Favor It
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The first time Marijuana Moment was published, the post House Committee Clears Psychedelics and Marijuana Pharmaceutical labeling Amendments for Floor Votes.
