The legislation provides a temporary five-year “safe harbor” in which veterans will not be punished for state-legal cannabis use and VA doctors will be able to officially recommend medical cannabis in accordance with state laws. The VA would also be mandated to study the potential benefits of cannabis for veterans to treat pain, PTSD, and other conditions.
The Harnessing Opportunities by Pursuing Expungement (HOPE) Act, sponsored by Reps. David Joyce (R-OH) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), allocates $20 million in federal funds over the course of ten years to provide grants to state and local governments to help expedite the process of providing relief for those with low-level marijuana convictions.
“At a time when most Americans want to end marijuana prohibition and nearly a majority of people now reside states where cannabis is legal, it makes no sense to continue punishing adults and robbing them of the opportunity to fulfill their potential for behavior that in many cases is no longer a crime.”
The vote marks the seventh time that House members have advanced this language to the Senate as either an amendment or as a stand-alone bill.
“This narrowly tailored, incremental, and necessary legislation has broad bipartisan support in both chambers, and it is incredibly disappointing that politics continue to get in the way. If there is a legislative version of the Twilight Zone, the SAFE Banking Act seems to be stuck in it at this point.”
“Legislative action is necessary in this arena because the DEA has proven time and time again that it is not an honest broker in this process.”
It has been a few weeks since a bipartisan coalition of legislators introduced HR 2306,…
Almost as if on cue from a movie director, the head of the Judiciary Committee…