As part of the massive spending bill for the Department of Defense, a powerful House committee cleared two psychedelic amendments to be considered on the floor. It also prevented separate marijuana-related bills from moving forward.
Bipartisan members submitted proposals for drug policy reforms that they hope to be included in the Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Bill. The House Rules Committee arranged the two psychedelics bills on Tuesday to allow them to be voted on at the floor.
The DOD Bill is one of the four spending packages that are currently on the committee’s agenda. All three remaining measures include at least one marijuana measure, which would prevent various departments from screening federal job applicants for marijuana.
The Rules Committee has approved the following amendments:
Rep. Rep.
Reps. Morgan Luttrell and Dan Crenshaw, both Republicans from Texas, provide $15 million to fund the DoD-wide Psychedelic Medical Clinical Trials.
These are the measures that have been blocked from being considered:
Reps. Robert Garcia (D. CA) and Earl Blumenauer(D. OR): Blocks federal funding for testing marijuana of job applicants who live in states that have legalized marijuana.
Reps. Blumenauer (D-OR), Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) and Dave Joyce (R-OH): Decreasing funding for Operation and Maintenance, Army and increasing funding for Military Personnel, Army to support and expand the Army’s recruitment initiative to waive the prohibition on enlistees disqualified for tetrahydrocannabinol.
A proposal was withdrawn before the meeting of the committee by its sponsor:
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-FL ): prohibits the use of federal funds for cannabis tests for enlistment and commissioning in certain armed services.
Marijuana Moment tracks more than 1,000 cannabis and psychedelics bills, as well as drug policy legislation in state legislatures. Patreon supporters who pledge at least $25/month gain access to our interactive charts, maps and hearing calendar.
Discover more about our marijuana bills tracker. Become a Patreon supporter to gain access.
—
The Rules Committee members will soon be considering separate appropriations measures for the Departments of Homeland Security, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and State and Foreign Operations.
Garcia’s amendment on the prohibition of cannabis drug testing of federal job candidates was submitted to each spending bill in order for the policy change to be effected by a greater number of departments.
Garcia proposed a similar amendment to a military construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies spending bill earlier this year. This amendment was not approved, despite bipartisan legislators praising the passage by the House of the underlying bill 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 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.
The House Rules Committee, which is controlled by the GOP, has not yet indicated how it will handle the remaining drug policy reforms filed in the three other pending appropriations legislation. This panel has prevented numerous bipartisan drug reform measures from being added to other appropriations bills this session. However, it allowed the marijuana and psychedelics proposal to be advanced.
The House Appropriations Committee’s report, which was attached to the spending bill, also contains 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 of VA eligibility for home loan benefits.”
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 denial of security clearances to federal workers due to prior cannabis use.
House and Senate Appropriators have also passed large-scale annual budget bills, which include once again language to protect medical cannabis programs in states, as well as an controversial rider that blocks Washington, D.C.’s implementation of a regulated marijuana sale system.
DEA Defends Firing a ‘Outstanding Agent’ For Using CBD as An Opioid Alternate
Image element provided by Kristie Gianpulos.
The post Key House Committee Clears Defense Bill Psychedelics Amendements For Floor Votes But Blocks Marijuana Proposals first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
