Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act

Floor Speech

Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this important amendment.

As I'm sure my colleagues know, last November Coloradans voted overwhelmingly in favor of Amendment 64, which legalized the recreational use of marijuana in our State.

Marijuana policy is a public health issue, and should be regulated like one.

Americans across the country already know that the so-called `War on Drugs' is a failed Federal policy that clogs our prisons, drains Federal resources and disproportionately penalizes African-American and Latinos.

But Amendment 64 represents even more than an acknowledgement of failure and a Triumph of common sense.

For Colorado veterans who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder, Amendment 64 measure offers them something more: relief.

And for combat veterans who have tried everything the VA has thrown at them to fight their symptoms medical marijuana may be their only relief.

Colorado service men and women have fought valiantly for their country in every American military conflict.
It is not just Iraq and Afghanistan--from Korea to Vietnam to military engagements around the globe, over 420,000 veterans live in Colorado today.

Our commitment to our veterans should not end once they are back on American soil, and in most cases, it does not.

But for a number of veterans--those who the system denies when they try to access one of the few treatments that actually works for them--we are not living up to our promise.

If we continue to prescribe powerful, addictive drugs with dangerous side effects--but prevent even preliminary medical research into the efficacy of medical marijuana--we are not living up to our promise.

Some estimate that nearly 20 percent of returning Iraq and Afghanistan war vets are suffering from PTSD.

If we continue to fail to provide relief to veterans suffering from this condition, we are not living up to our promise.
Eighteen States and the District of Columbia currently allow some form of marijuana use. A third of Americans live in one of these States, and more States are approving these common-sense measures every year.

But the Federal Government continues to stand in the way of progress. Is there any other situation where this would be acceptable? Where some of our bravest men and women could be denied effective care by their own government?

Our servicemen and women deserve better treatment from the country they defend.

I believe the Federal Government should get out of the business of telling states they can or cannot do something that States are perfectly capable of regulating themselves.

But that's a big step. At the very least, the government that sent our troops into harm's way should not turn around and stop them from accessing treatment that works for them--sometimes the only treatment that works for them.

How many more veterans have to suffer the emotional and physical scars of war before we listen to what they have to say?

I urge my colleagues to support this important amendment.

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