GOP lawmakers blocked a vote on a bill that would have allowed Veterans Affairs doctors to recommend medical marijuana as a pain treatment in states where the drug is legal. The House Rules Committee stopped a proposed “Veterans Equal Access” amendment from moving to debate on the House floor by keeping the measure out of the House’s proposed VA funding bill for next year. The sponsor of the House provision, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore, said he was “bitterly disappointed” that his amendment was sidelined: “This is a subject that has gained a great deal more attention and momentum. More people recognize that the VA has really failed our veterans when it has come to pain management, opioids and opioid dependency.” He noted that his amendment had the bipartisan support of nine Democrats and nine Republicans. “But somehow the (committee) decided it wasn’t going to allow this amendment.”
At www.mcclatchydc.com
1
1
