Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gates introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would bar the military from testing recruits for marijuana.

Gates fix, will be submitted to the House Rules Committee and applied to potential enlisted and officer recruits. Medical cannabis use is legal, even though it is prohibited by federal law. 38 Recreational use is permitted in 23 states and Washington, DC. This disconnect has contributed to the military conscription crisis, with some observers saying: claimed We believe that removing the previous ban on marijuana use could help solve the problem.

Gates has pushed for marijuana elimination before Schedule I A list based on the Controlled Substances Act. He was one of three Republicans who backed a bill to remove the designation in the 117th Congress. The designation means that the drugs on the list “are not currently approved for medical use and have a high potential for abuse.” Other drugs listed under this provision include heroin, LSD and ecstasy.

On the House vote to legalize marijuana: Three Republicans, Rep. Tom McClintock (R-California), Rep. Matt Gates (R-Florida), and Rep. Brian Mast (R-Florida), voted for the bill. voted yes. Two Democrats, Rep. Chris Pappas (D-New Hampshire) and Rep. Henry Queller (R-Texas), voted against it.

— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) April 1, 2022

The House Armed Services Committee, of which Gates is a member, marked up the NDAA for fiscal year 2024 in June, before Congress left on the 4th of July holiday. The bill passed by the HASC sets Pentagon spending at $886 billion, but some senators hope Congress will pass another bill specifically focused on military aid to Ukraine. ing. (Related: U.S. Support for Taiwan Falls as Ukraine Aid Continues: Public Opinion Survey)

“I am working hard to convince House conservatives to support this NDAA,” Gates said. Said Politico. “There’s so much to love. We’re putting an end to critical racial theories in military affairs. We’ve used the ax for something very detrimental.” [diversity, equity and inclusion] Efforts that appeared in a very strange repetition. And we meet the country’s defense needs. ”

The military faces recruiting problems due to a “fat-fighting problem” among Americans, past marijuana use among recruits, and military families keeping their children out of military careers because of military DEIs. facing.