Congress Update: House Committee Green Lights Psychedelics Amendments

On September 12, the House Rules Committee voted on one of a series of large-scale budget bills which include recently introduced bipartisan marijuana and psychedelics amendments, reported Marijuana Moment.

The committee’s decision is key, as it is the immediate prior step for proposals to make it, or not, to the House floor. The vote was around the Department of Defense (DoD) FY2024 appropriations bill HR 4365.

In July, the committee blocked several of the 12+ marijuana and psychedelics amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA.) Yet that same month, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill covering FY2024 funding for Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies including a section expanding federal grants for research on marijuana and psychedelics.

Approved Measures

Two psychedelics-related amendments moving toward a floor vote were introduced by two Texas Republican representatives: Dan Crenshaw’s funding allocation for the Defense Health Agency to report to Congress on options ensuring that active service members with TBI and PTSD can participate in clinical trials under the VA studying the effectiveness of psychedelic substances. 

And a second by Crenshaw, together with Morgan Luttrell, assigning $15 million for the DoD’s psychedelic medical clinical trials and reducing funding by $15 million to RDTE (specifically emerging technology initiatives, weapons and munitions energy development, and army test range facilities.)

Bounced Amendments

Two marijuana-concerning measures will not meet floor consideration. 

One would have blocked funding for marijuana testing of federal job applicants in states where marijuana use is legal, by Democrat Reps. Robert Garcia (CA) and Earl Blumenauer (OR). 

The other, also by Blumenauer together with Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) and Dave Joyce (R-OH), would have reduced funding for operation and maintenance while increasing it for military personnel in the Army toward supporting and expanding the force’s recruitment initiative affected by the measure disqualifying enlistees for tetrahydrocannabinol.

Photo: Benzinga edit with photo by Cburnett on Wikimedia Commons and Octavio Hoyos on Shutterstock.