May 19, 2016

Congresswoman Lee Applauds House Passage of Amendment to Expand Medical Cannabis Access for Veterans

Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee released this statement following House passage (233-189) of her co-led amendment to remove restrictions on Veterans Affairs doctors  providing access to medical cannabis to our brave veterans:

“Today, the House of Representative took a big step forward in expanding access to healthcare for all of our veterans.

By expanding access to medical cannabis for veterans living in states with legal markets, we are empowering our veterans, in consultation with their medical professionals, to make the best possible healthcare decision for themselves and their families.

It’s well past time for the federal government to stop erecting barriers between patients and their medicine.

I thank all of my colleagues that supported this amendment, especially the amendment lead sponsor, Congressman Blumenauer (OR) and all the co-leads: Congresswoman Titus (NV) and Congressmen Heck (NV), Farr (CA), Rohrabacher (CA), Reed (NY), Gallego (AZ) and Polis (CO).”

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Congresswoman Lee is a member of the Appropriations and Budget Committees, the Steering and Policy Committee, is a Senior Democratic Whip, former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and co-chair of the Progressive Caucus. She serves as chair of the Democrat Whip Task Force on Poverty, Income Inequality and Opportunity.