Word on the Hill: POW/MIA Recognition Day

By Alex Gangitano

Posted September 15, 2017 at 5:03am

Today is National POW/MIA Recognition Day, which honors missing service members and their families.

Currently in Congress, there are two lawmakers who endured time as prisoners of war during the Vietnam War: Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Texas.

McCain, 81, was captured by the North Vietnamese while on a bombing mission in Hanoi in 1967 and was a prisoner of war until 1973. Johnson, 86, was held for almost seven years. He announced his retirement from the House in January.

Plans tonight? How about bottomless wine

Throughout the fall, 201 Bar’s (201 Massachusetts Ave. NE) Friday happy hour menu includes bottomless rosé wine for $20. The Friday bottomless beverage will change seasonally so take advantage of this special before the fall is over.

Word play

High Times magazine took note of Sen. Orrin G. Hatch’s, R-Utah, speech on the Senate floor on medical marijuana Wednesday, pointing out his “command of sativa-oriented slang:”

“It’s high time to address research into medical marijuana,” Hatch said. “Our country has experimented with a variety of state solutions, without properly delving into the weeds on the effectiveness, safety, dosing, administration and quality of medical marijuana.”

In an earlier news release, the senator added, “All the while the federal government strains to enforce regulations that sometimes do more harm than good. To be blunt, we need to remove the administrative barriers preventing legitimate research into medical marijuana, which is why I’ve decided to roll out the MEDS Act.”

The bill, dubbed the Marijuana Effective Drug Study Act of 2017, or MEDS, seeks to “improve the process for conducting scientific research on marijuana as a safe and effective medical treatment.” Hatch introduced the bill with Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii. Co-sponsors include Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., Cory Gardner, R-Colo., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C.

Rock the vets

The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America hosted a “Tribute to Congressional Staff” concert Thursday at Rock and Roll Hotel with White Ford Bronco. Spotted: Ben Jenkins, Allison Jaslow, Joel Bailey, Steve Danon, Cicely Simpson, Robert Edmonson, Liz Falcone, Kate Callahan, Michael Meehan, Craig Wolf, Ben Kamisar, Kristen Hawn, Ashley Jones, Cori Kramer, Jeff Murray, Nishith Pandya, James Leuschen, and Kenneth Martin. The event was sponsored by the National Restaurant Association, UnitedHealthGroup, AT&T, National Beer Wholesalers Association, and the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America.

Roll Call event: Tackling Mental Health Through Innovation

While Congress continues to wrestle with the future of health care in the United States, patient needs must still be met. This is particularly important in the mental health field, where new innovations have the potential to revolutionize patient care.

Roll Call Live, partnering with CQ’s health care experts, will lead a morning of discussion with members of Congress and other stakeholders on the role the federal government can play in furthering those innovations. Join us on Tuesday at 8 a.m. at the Newseum (555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW) Register here.