The GOP-controlled House of Representatives recently passed two amendments of a comprehensive Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies (MilCon/VA) spending bill.
One would allow VA doctors to recommend medical cannabis to veterans, and the other would promote research into certain psychedelics.
Filed by the Congressional Cannabis Caucus co-chairs, the first amendment points at blocking the use of VA funds to enforce provisions of an existing legislation that literally does the opposite — that is, forbids doctors from making medical cannabis recommendations to veterans, even when in states where it is a legal treatment modality. It has now to face a bicameral discussion for its potential enactment.
The second amendment, also sponsored by the corresponding Congressional Psychedelics Caucus co-chairs, aims at rooting for VA-conducted large-scale studies into the therapeutic potential of FDA-designated Breakthrough Therapies (i.e. MDMA and psilocybin) for difficult-to-treat conditions including PTSD and suicidal thoughts/behavior.
The decision comes one day after the chamber’s rules committee — the same that recently blocked over a dozen drug policy reform amendments to a NDAA bill — embedded the measures for floor consideration, as first spotted by Marijuana Moment.
See Also: Congressional Lawmakers Persist On NDAA Psychedelics Amendment Despite House Committee Obstacles
Nonetheless, the committee did block an amendment to the MilCon/VA bill that would have ended the marijuana drug testing for job applicants at certain federal agencies.
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Photo: Benzinga edit with photo by Pixabay.
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