The Rules Committee in the United States House of Representatives has passed a federal defense bill that includes a provision to end marijuana testing for military recruits and prospective officers.
Approval of the provision through the Rules Committee comes roughly three weeks after it passed the House Armed Services Committee as part of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and it comes a day after the White House announced its opposition to the move. The NDAA is a massive defense bill necessary for funding national defense and military operations.
Included in the NDAA is a provision that prohibits marijuana testing of military recruits and potential officers. An amendment by Congressmembers Mary Miller (R-IL), Pete Sessions (R-TX) , Robert Aderholt (R-AL), Josh Brecheen (R-OK), Andrew Clyde (R-GA), Gary Palmer (R-GA) and Claudia Tenney (R-NY) to remove the provision ending military marijuana testing was rejected by the committee, as was a flurry of other marijuana-related amendments.
Section 531 titled “PROHIBITION ON CANNABIS TESTING FOR ENLISTMENT OR COMMISSION IN CERTAIN ARMED FORCES” states:
Subject to subsection (a) of section 504 of chapter 31 of title 10, United States Code, the Secretary of the military department concerned may not require an individual to submit to a test for cannabis as a condition of enlistment of such individual as a member, or the commission of such individual as an officer, of an Armed Force.”
The provision seeks to mitigate the decline in military recruitment. According to a Gallup poll from last month, 12% of Americans aged 18-29, a key demographic for military enlistment, stated they use marijuana regularly (defined as at least 10 days per month).
The NDAA will soon be up for consideration by the full US House and, if passed, will proceed to the Senate.
