Military recruits and prospective officers wouldn't have to undergo testing for marijuana under a proposed amendment to the annual defense bill.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., has filed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, that would bar the military services from making someone take a test for cannabis as a condition of enlisting or commissioning.
“Our military is facing a recruitment and retainment crisis unlike any other time in American history,” Gaetz tweeted about his amendment, which was first reported by Politico. “I do not believe that prior use of cannabis should exclude Americans from enlisting in the armed forces. We should embrace them for stepping up to serve our country.”
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The House Rules Committee must still decide which of the more than 1,400 amendments filed for the NDAA will get votes when the bill comes to the House floor next week. Typically, just a fraction of filed amendments for the massive defense bill gets votes, though House Republican leadership at the beginning of the year vowed to allow a more freewheeling amendment process in the chamber than recent years. Spokespeople for Gaetz did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the prospects for his amendment getting a vote.
The amendment marks the latest effort to remove a leading barrier to entering the military as the services struggle…
