The House of Representatives has approved a measure that will allow U.S. military members and veterans to use hemp-based CBD so long as the products meet the federal definition of hemp, which stipulates they contain not more than 0.3% THC.
The vote comes up against an earlier directive from the Pentagon that had signed a memo making it illegal for U.S. troops to use hemp CBD, even though hemp is now federally legal under the 2018 Farm Bill.
The initiative, led by military veteran Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), was approved in the House on July 20, 2020 by a vote of 336 to 71, reported Marijuana Moment.
Rep. Gabbard’s amendment specifies: “The Secretary of Defense may not prohibit, on the basis of a product containing hemp or any ingredient derived from hemp, the possession, use, or consumption of such product by a member of the Armed Forces” as long as the crop meets the federal definition of hemp.
Can Veterans Use CBD?
“If [the bill] passes in the Senate, this will allow military members to start using healthier natural alternatives versus the standard issuance of opiates for pain, and synthetic anti-depression medications that have hard side-effects for PTSD,” decorated U.S. Navy veteran David Metzler told the Weed Blog.
Metzler and his partner Zak Garcia said CBD changed their lives forever by helping them work through their PTSD and reenter the civilian workforce. They eventually co-founded CBD Capital Group, through which they guide young entrepreneurs within the CBD industry to expand CBD access to those in need, including military personnel and veterans.
As a hemp advocate, Rep. Gabbard introduced the “Hemp for Victory Act” in July 2019, which called for more research into the many uses of hemp, something Metzler and Garcia feel is crucial.
Research has been hampered, Metzler said, by “unnecessary cannabis fear” on the part of military authorities who continue cannabis testing rather than rewriting regulations based on current research and widespread demand from military members and veterans who want healthier alternatives.
“The Department of Defense (DOD) has already said that they are against this congressional fix, meaning that for now military men and women will have to keep taking big-pharma alternatives,” Metzler said.
“We have a veterans group of 60k+ people that want to try our Mana Botanics CBD products and participate in a Medical Outcome Study (SF-36) for PTSD but are worried they might jeopardize their benefits,” Melzler added.
