New federal bill seeks to protect veterans working in the cannabis industry

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The bill would take away some of the VA’s oversight of military veterans

A new bill was announced on Wednesday that would bring extra protection to military veterans in the country. this bipartisan legislation seeks to protect veterans that work in the cannabis industry since, as established by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), veterans that take part in any cannabis-related business can be denied from getting home loans that are partially backed by VA due to the current legal status of marijuana. Even though it has been a legal matter in more than half of the states, marijuana’s federal status as a Schedule I narcotic still grants the VA the permission to deny those loans.

“The citizens of Colorado led the nation in adopting a new approach to cannabis, and our state’s veterans have fought for our country all over the world,” Senator Gardner, co-sponsor of the bill, said, adding, “It’s disgraceful that a veteran can be denied a benefit they earned serving our country because they have a job in a legitimate cannabis business. Unfortunately, this isn’t the only policy failure due to conflicting state and federal marijuana laws.”

Senator Warren, the bill’s other co-sponsor, also referred to how the outdated federal cannabis laws as a roadblock for veterans that have already sacrificed much for the United States and then not being able to get loans to purchase a home.

Additionally, this bill also includes an amendment that would guarantee that, when the VA does approve a loan or veterans even applying for one, it would not be considered a violation of the federal controlled substance laws. One other separate bipartisan bill was also announced as a part of a bundle, this bill will be prohibiting the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services from not even considering its employment in the cannabis industry as a factor for the application.