[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 78 (Wednesday, June 5, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E801-E802]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND VETERANS AFFAIRS, AND RELATED AGENCIES 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2014

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. JARED POLIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 4, 2013

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2216) making 
     appropriations for military construction, the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year 
     ending September 30, 2014, and for other purposes:

  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?

[[Page E802]]

  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.

                          ____________________