Although plenty of states have now legalized medical and recreational marijuana in various forms, it still carries a lot of stigma. Most employers are uncomfortable with employees consuming cannabis, even during non-work hours, and plenty of sports organizations do not allow their athletes to use marijuana. The military has a harsh stance on marijuana too, and veterans who admit to using marijuana even in a legal state can be barred from reenlisting.
A measure introduced two years in a row by Rep. Ruben Gallego and approved by a Congressional Committee would help resolve the issue. The measure would allow heads of military branches to grant waivers on a case by case basis to service members seeking to reenlist who admit to consuming cannabis or were convicted of a misdemeanor marijuana offense. Text from the measure states that “within 90 days of the enactment of the bill, the Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations that permit any Secretary of a military department to grant a reenlistment waiver to a covered person if the secretary determines that the reenlistment of that covered person is vital to the national interest.”
It further states that service members who have “admitted to or been convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction of a single violation of any law of a state or the United States relating to the use or possession of cannabis” would be covered as long as it was a misdemeanor offense and did not occur while they were on active duty. “Smoking pot just once shouldn’t prevent a patriotic American from fighting for our country. We need to finally exercise some common sense when it comes to our marijuana policies, and I’m glad my amendment will lead us in that direction,” says Rep. Gallego.
This is the second year in a row Rep. Gallego has filed a measure to allow service members who admitted to smoking marijuana to reenlist. At the House Armed Services Committee meeting, he stated that it was important to fundamentally rethink the military’s enlistment policies regarding marijuana, “especially given our nation’s recruitment crisis.” “Our nation’s views on marijuana use are changing, and the services have changed their recruitment process accordingly. The services can, where appropriate, grant waivers to former users of marijuana who want to serve their country in uniform,” he said at the time.
This year’s measure was adopted as part of a package with several other amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act by the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday. As it heads to the House Floor, it will be attached to a large scale defense spending bill for the next fiscal year.
It would be interesting to hear what industry actors like Green Growth Brands Inc. (CSE: GGB) (OTCQB: GGBXF) have to say about the likelihood of this amendment making it through both legislative chambers.
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