and Related Agencies Appropriations Act

Members of Congress Call for Cutting DEA Funding to Increase Funding for Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Prevention

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dea fundingA coalition of 12 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, led by Representative Ted Lieu (D-CA), has written a letter to House leadership calling for the passage of a provision in an upcoming spending bill that would remove at least half of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) funding for their failed Cannabis Eradication Program.

The provision would take this money (around $9 million) and put it towards programs that “play a far more useful role in promoting the safety and economic prosperity of the American people”, such as domestic violence and child abuse prevention.

Read moreMembers of Congress Call for Cutting DEA Funding to Increase Funding for Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Prevention

U.S. Senate Committee Votes to Allow VA Doctors to Recommend Medical Cannabis

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vaIn a historic vote, the U.S Senate Appropriation Committee has approved an amendment to a federal spending bill that would allow Veteran Affairs (VA) physicians to recommend medical cannabis to their patients in states where the medicine is legal. The vote was 18 to 12.

The Veterans Equal Access Amendment, added to the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, is sponsored by Senators Steve Daines (R-MT) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR). Specifically, it would undo a 2009 directive barring VA doctors from recommending medical cannabis, even in states where its legal.

Read moreU.S. Senate Committee Votes to Allow VA Doctors to Recommend Medical Cannabis