With most of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee who made their vote in favor of growing marijuana access to United States veterans this past Thursday. The committee vote establishes the first time that having the masses in favor of anybody of the U.S. Senate has ever decided in favor of having an increase of marijuana access.
Members of the committee voted 18 to 12 favoring The Veterans Equal Access Amendment, backed by Republican Senator Steve Daines of Montana and Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon. It was added in Committee to a must-pass military construction and veterans affairs spending bill. The bill “certain” to pass on the Senates, given from a Drug Policy Alliance press release.
Almost a month ago, House members barley terminated a similar amendment in the House version of the Appropriations Act by a floor vote of 210 to 213. Once the Senate version of this act is officially passed by the Senate floor, House and Senate leaders will have to conform the two versions.
The Daines/Merkley amendment allows doctors affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to refer marijuana therapy to veterans in states that allow for the legal use of cannabis. With current federal law, Va physicians are not allowed to fill out written forms authorizing veterans to participate in state-approved medical cannabis programs.
Stand alone legislation (HR 667) to allow VA doctors to refer marijuana therapy is awaiting a decision in the U.S. House of Representatives. An alike provision is also added in Senate Bill 683/HR 1538, The Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States (CARERS) Act.
NORML organized its 2015 legislative fly-in lobby day in Washington, D.C. just last week, where various people in attendance visited with U.S. Senators and pushed them to vote for the Daines/Merkley amendment, in the midst of others pending reform legislation.
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