Veterans Medical Marijuana Amendment in U.S. House Loses by Just Three Votes

Drugpolicy.org reports that on April 30th, the U.S. House voted down a bipartisan amendment by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Rep. Joe Heck (R-NV) that would have allowed the Veterans Administration doctors to recommend marijuana to their patients.

Three votes stood in the way of allowing the VA access to medical marijuana. 

Here's the kicker: 

Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) meant to vote YES to the bill and voted NO accidentally. Really? 

Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va) voted NO because the bill didn't go far enough. So now, our vets get nothing at all. 

According to US News, "The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) currently does not allow its physicians to discuss marijuana as a treatment option in the two dozen states with medical pot laws, forcing veterans to turn elsewhere for guidance and the paperwork necessary to acquire the drug."

This amendment would have blocked the VHA from punishing doctors who participate in state programs. Most Democrats and 35 Republicans supported it. The defeat, however, was by a more narrow margin than last year, when it failed by 26 votes. 

American doctors cannot legally prescribe marijuana because it’s classified a Schedule I drug in the Controlled Substances Act, meaning the federal government considers it to have no medical value. In the two dozen states with medical pot laws doctors instead “recommend” it.

Marijuana now is used without Food and Drug Administration approval to treat a variety of medical conditions, including epilepsy, PTSD, depression and the effects of debilitating illnesses and cancer treatments.

Why are Senators making medical decisions for our veterans? 

Jesse Ventura sounds off on this hypocrisy here in The VA vs Marijuana! WATCH:

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