As the military service struggles to meet its recruitment goals, members of the divided House of Representatives appear to be united in an amendment that would relax the Pentagon’s policy on marijuana use.

“I don’t think people should be tested for cannabis.” [in] Rep. Matt Gates (Florida Republican) told the House Rules Committee at a hearing Tuesday. “We should think more of cannabis in terms of alcohol.”

Mr. Gates testified that he supported an amendment to ban drug testing for marijuana as a requirement for enlistment or officer status.

“We are in a hiring crisis,” he said, noting that “many people are using cannabis in the name of state law.” So far, 23 states and Washington, D.C. have legalized recreational marijuana use.

The Florida legislator said his amendment would not prevent the Pentagon from banning marijuana use for individuals actively serving in the military, but that cannabis testing would be an “unnecessary gate” to adoption. emphasized that there is

The House Rules Committee, which is responsible for controlling which bills the House votes on, said more than 1,500 were submitted for inclusion in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act after the House Armed Services Committee introduced a version of the bill in June. proposed an amendment.

It’s unclear if the proposed amendments will become law, but a clear trend emerged. As states legalize recreational marijuana use, lawmakers are clamoring for exemptions from the military and the Pentagon.

Rep. Robert Garcia, D.California, along with Rep. Earl Blumenauer, Oregon, D.C., deny a confidentiality permit simply because the applicant used marijuana legally in their state of origin. supported an amendment prohibiting the use of authorized defense funds for

Rep. Mikie Sherrill (DN.J.) told the Department of Defense that “military recruits who have used marijuana legally in the past or who have a documented history of marijuana use without and to create an expedited waiver process for applicants, waiving powers at the lowest levels, such as recruit commanders.”

Jim McGovern, a ranking member of the Committee on Rules, expressed support for Gates’ cannabis testing amendments, saying, “You don’t have to agree on everything to agree on something.”

At the same time, the McGovern Democratic Party in Massachusetts promoted another bipartisan proposal backed by both lawmakers to ban the military transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine.

“Cluster munitions are completely indiscriminate. They do not distinguish between Russian soldiers, Ukrainian soldiers, women, children and other civilians. is banned in over 100 countries for a real reason.”

McGovern, unlike Gates, supports U.S. aid to Ukraine, but the White House-approved transfer of cluster munitions “represents the U.S. as rogue states using these banned weapons to Russia and Syria.” I think I will join,” he said.