A powerful House Committee has blocked efforts by a Democratic Congressman to stop the practice of testing federal job candidates for marijuana in large spending bills.
The House Rules Committee refused to allow the floor vote on the amendments proposed by Rep. Robert Garcia, D-CA. Garcia has submitted multiple versions of his reform proposal in appropriations legislation this session.
The congressman has submitted a proposal to revise the spending bills of the Departments of Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies as well as the legislative branch.
The amendments states with certain exceptions that covered agencies cannot use their funds “for testing applicants on marijuana.”
Garcia also filed the cannabis applicant protection measure for other appropriations measures covering Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, which are expected to soon be taken up in the Rules Committee.
The congressman had introduced versions of the same amendment, all of which were blocked, for , Departments of Homeland Security, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and State and Foreign Operations.
The committee also rejected a version of the proposed amendment which covered the appropriations for Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies. Bipartisan legislators have applauded the passage by the House of the underlying legislation which included separate marijuana and psychoedelics measures, that were allowed to be considered on the floor.
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.
The House also passed a bill last week that included funding for the Department of Defense. This bill included two measures on psychedelics, and an amendment to create federal labeling requirements relating to marijuana drug interactions.
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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 month, 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 a candidate has used marijuana in the past.
The House Rules Committee voted on Monday, just days after its Senate Banking Committee passed a bipartisan reform of cannabis banking which is now ready for consideration by the House.
DEA report shows labs are testing’significantly’ less marijuana seized amid the state legalization movement
The article Key House Committee Blocks Amendments to End Marijuana Tests for Federal Job Applicants first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
