Cannabis Research Bills
After recently passing the MORE Act last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed another significant piece of cannabis legislation on Monday, April 4—The Medical Marijuana Research Act. This bill would ease restrictions on studying the benefits of cannabis by allowing scientists and researchers to obtain and study samples of cannabis from states that have legalized it, either medicinally or recreationally. Specifically, it directs the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to register (1) practitioners to conduct medical cannabis research, and (2) manufacturers and distributors to supply cannabis for such research.
Since the enactment of the Controlled Substances Act in 1970 under the Nixon administration, cannabis research has been extremely limited and not scientifically sound. In fact, researchers have only been able to study cannabis at a single federally approved facility at the University of Mississippi. Critics have pointed out the cannabis used in these studies is very low quality and does not represent what is being sold at state-run dispensaries. In a study done on the matter, it was found the quality of cannabis used in this research is more equivalent to hemp than actual dispensary-grade cannabis. Consequently, our scientific knowledge of the plant and its benefits have been very inadequate, if not inaccurate.
Cannabidiol and Marihuana Research Expansion Act
The Senate recently passed their own version of the bill, The Cannabidiol and Marihuana Research Expansion Act.Similar to the House bill, this bill would streamline the application process and reduce existing barriers in the law for researchers who want to study the plant and its benefits. Specifically, it would
Allow accredited medical and osteopathic schools, practitioners, research institutions, and manufacturers with a Schedule I registration to manufacture cannabis for their
research.Require the DEA to license manufacturers for the commercial production of an FDA-
approved CBD or cannabis drug.Allow institutions appropriately registered with the DEA to import cannabis,
cannabis seeds or CBD to conduct medical research for drug development
In addition, it would allow physicians to discuss the risks and benefits of cannabis with patients and it would require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to submit a report on those potential health benefits, as well as the barriers to cannabis research and how to overcome them.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) commended passage of the bill in the Senate stating, “Current rules and regulations make it hard for researchers to study how [cannabis] and [cannabis]-derived medications can best be used to treat various conditions. This important legislation will cut the red tape around the research process, helping get FDA-approved, [cannabis]-derived medications safely to patients.”
While neither of these bills (if passed) will be as impactful as passage of the MORE Act, which would de-schedule cannabis entirely. Allowing more federally-sponsored and scientifically sound research on the benefits of cannabis is certainly a step in the right direction and will only add to our knowledge of the plant and help eliminate all the misinformation and myths surrounding it.
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