Thanks to this Congressional decision, troops can use CBD products

Of Jelena Martinovic

Since July 2020, members of the military have been allowed to use CBD products after the House of Representatives approved a measure allowing the use of hemp products and derivatives.

The measure passed by a vote of 336 to 71. The initiative was spearheaded by Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who is also a military veteran.

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Military troops and CBD

The congressional action states that the secretary of defense cannot prohibit a “member of the armed services” from “possessing, using or consuming” hemp or hemp-derived products as long as the harvest meets federal standards.

In addition, the possession, use, and consumption of such products must be “in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.”

The measure is part of a package of a dozen other non-cannabis amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Gabbard has been a champion of the hemp industry for some time. In fact, in 2019, Gabbard introduced the law called the Hemp for Victory Act.

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The bill was designed to mandate research into a variety of ways to implement the use of hemp in everyday life.

Meanwhile, that same month, the US Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) partnered with the University of North Carolina to study psychedelics.

Veterans PTSDPhoto by RODNAE Productions from Pexels

RELATED: Congress approves CBD use for military members

The research is focused on developing “new drugs to treat depression, anxiety, and substance abuse effectively and quickly, without major side effects.”

First published: July 21, 2020

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.

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