(Ken Silva, Headline USA) To get U.S. military recruitment numbers higher, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., wants to make it easier for recruits to get high.
Gaetz recently proposed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would abolish cannabis testing for members of the military.
“The Secretary of the military department concerned may not require an individual to submit to a test for cannabis as a condition of enlistment of such individual as a member, or the commission of such individual as an officer, of an Armed Force,” states Gaetz’s proposed amendment to the NDAA—the bill that authorizes the Pentagon’s annual budget.
Gaetz told the New York Post he introduced this proposal to help address the military’s lagging recruitment numbers. The Army reportedly fell more than 15,000 recruits short of its target of 60,000 in 2022.
“Our military is facing a recruitment and retainment crisis unlike any other time in American history,” Gaetz told The Post.
“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.”
According to the New York Times, 4,710 recruits failed their entry drug tests in 2022, a nearly 33% increase from 2020—a trend partly attributable to cannabis becoming legal in more states. The Army has also reportedly attributed the proliferation of non-psychedelic products such as CBD and hemp products as part of the problem.
“A single use of some hemp products may result in a positive drug test result for THC,” Army spokesperson Matt Leonard told the Military Times last year.
According to Politico, other representatives have also proposed cannabis-related amendments to the NDAA.
Congressional Cannabis Caucus members Reps. Brian Mast, R-Fla., Barbara Lee, D-Calif., Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., and Dave Joyce, R-Ohio, have also introduced an amendment that would allow doctors at the VA to give medical opinions on cannabis use as a treatment to patients in states where medical marijuana is legal. Another amendment from Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, would allow military members to consume CBD products that are legal under federal law.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
