Republished with permission from Weed News; Read the original article HERE.

The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee adopted an amendment on Thursday to allow military veterans to obtain medical marijuana recommendations through the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The bipartisan vote was 24 to 7. A similar measure was adopted by the panel last year by a vote of 20 to 10 and by the full House with a margin of 233 to 189, but a conference committee later stripped the provisions from the final bill funding the V.A.

Tom Angell, founder and chairman of Marijuana Majority, released the following statement:

“The growing level of support for marijuana law reform in Congress is extremely encouraging, especially in light of concerning comments and opposition from the attorney general. This is just the first of what will likely be a series of cannabis votes on Capitol Hill this year, and we expect to continue seeing strong bipartisan margins in support of scaling back federal prohibition. That’s because a growing number of senators and House members represent constituents who have voted at the ballot box to enact new marijuana laws that stand in stark contrast to outdated federal laws. The war on marijuana is ending, and today’s vote is clear indication of that.”

The text of the new veterans amendment, sponsored by Sens. Steve Daines (R-MT) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), as well as audio of the committee debate, are online at https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/hearings/full-committee-markup-of-the-fy2018-military-construction-veterans-affairs-appropriations-bill

Marijuana Majority is dedicated to making sure the media, politicians and government officials treat marijuana as a serious issue that is important to a growing majority of Americans. Source: Marijuana Majority press release – make a donation