A committee of the U.S. House of Representatives has approved an expansive defense bill, which includes provisions led by the GOP to create a “pilot program” for medical marijuana and to require a study on the therapeutic potential of psychoedelics among active duty military personnel under the Department of Defense.
The House Armed Services Committee marked up the National Defense Authorization Act on Wednesday. It approved the legislation, along with amendments to drug policy reform from Reps. Nancy Mace and Morgan Luttrell. Both were adopted by voice vote in a unified package.
Mace’s proposed amendment would create a DOD pilot medical cannabis program to examine the effects of marijuana on veterans and servicemen who are VA beneficiaries. The VA participant must have been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety or depression, or prescribed pain medication to be eligible for this program.
The secretary of defense and VA will need to compile, assess and publish “relevant information collected by State-approved cannabis regulatory programs that are made available to Secretary of Defense.”
BIG DEAL
Our amendment 3504-a medical #marijuana program just passed @HASCRepublicans. @SecDef is implementing a pilot program that will address the health effects associated with #medicalmarijuana usage by covered beneficiaries and explore new FDA approved medicines.
Rep. Nancy Mace 22 June 2023
The amendment states that “the pilot program shall take place in one or more States which have a State-approved program for marijuana regulation and shall be carried out in accordance with the applicable State laws with respect to manufacturing, distribution, dispensing or possession of marijuana to the extent these activities occur as part of the pilot program.”
Officials will also have to work together on “preclinical or clinical research pursuant to a investigational new drug exception” under the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
According to the measure, cannabis-related activities authorized under the pilot programme would be exempted from enforcement actions by the Drug Enforcement Administration under the Controlled Substances Act. VA benefits will also be protected for those who participate in the program.
The Defense Secretary would be required to report annually to the relevant congressional committees about the “conduct of the program”.
Mace said to Marijuana Moment that the bipartisan approval of this amendment was a major victory for active service members, veterans and those suffering from service-related traumas.
“We are looking forward to the results of the studies and the healing our nation’s injured heroes,” said the congresswoman who supports cannabis legalization. She recently filed a bill that mandates the automatic sealing criminal records of certain non-violent federal drug convictions.
The Luttrell amendment, on the other hand, would require that the Defense Secretary conduct a clinical study into the therapeutic benefit of psychedelics to active duty servicemen with PTSD or traumatic brain injuries.
The clinical trials must involve psilocybin or MDMA. Ibogaine, DMT, and ibogaine would also be acceptable. Within one year after the legislation was passed, the secretary would have to submit a report with the results of the trials.
The #FY24NDAA markedup last night saw three of my amendments pass unanimously. These included funding for increased counter-narcotics, a study on improving military readiness by nutrition, and research into psychedelic therapy to treat PTSD.
Congressman Morgan Luttrell June 22, 2020
Luttrell’s amendment is basically a scaled-down version a standalone bill that he supports from Rep. Dan Crenshaw, (R-TX), that would create grant program that funds two clinical trials on the medical value for that same group of psychoedelics.
Luttrell revealed details about his experience of receiving 5-MeO DMT and ibogaine treatment while in another country. He said that it “changed my whole life” and “was one of the best things to happen to me.”
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The final deal last year did not include two psychedelics provisions from the House version of the NDAA. However, the lawmakers were able to secure report language that instructed the secretary of defence to conduct a “study on the feasibility and advisability” of using certain pharmacologic therapies or potential plant-based treatments as an alternative to prescription opioids to treat PTSD, TBI or chronic pain.
To the dismay of marijuana advocates and stakeholders, a number of other marijuana-related items were also excluded. This included an attempt to pass cannabis bank reform through the must-pass defence bill.
Even though it’s not clear if the latest modest proposals are going to make it through this Congress, their passage in an en bloc package shows that they weren’t viewed as being controversial.
Below, you can read the text relating to the NDAA amendments on marijuana and psychedelics:
Where Donald Trump, the presidential candidate, stands on marijuana
Image element provided by Kristie Gianpulos.
The post Congressional Committee Approves GOP-Led Marijuana Pilot Programme’ And Psychedelics Studies Amendments To Military Bill first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
