A new bill in Congress would grant $150 million to universities for marijuana research over five years. These institutions could also obtain cannabis for their studies by forming partnerships with state regulatory agencies or law enforcement.
The Higher Education Marijuana Research Act was introduced on Monday by Reps. Dina T. Titus (D.NV) and Joe Neguse.
The bill would require the Drug Enforcement Administration to give priority to marijuana manufacturers who apply for research. It would also require a yearly report to Congress about the status of these applications and the reasons for any denials.
The measure has an interesting feature: it allows universities in states where marijuana is legal to “obtain marijuana or purchase it from a State, tribal or local government marijuana regulatory agency.”
As regulators don’t usually purchase cannabis from licensed retailers, it is possible that states would have to adopt new policy to make marijuana available to government agencies for such purposes.
Universities would be able to study the product, regardless of how they made it available, to determine “the type of marijuana that is sold in a state’s market, the public health implications of marijuana policies within the State and any possible medical benefits of cannabis.”
Cannabis provided by law enforcement partnerships, however, cannot be used in clinical trials on humans. This is due partly to concerns over potentially contaminated, unregulated products.
Further, the bill stipulates that researchers and students who qualify to conduct cannabis research and participate will not be denied federal funding or financial aid for students. They also won’t face any immigration penalties. Universities themselves would also be protected against any funding loss related to authorized research.
The DEA must establish a University Relations Office within 90 days of the enactment of this legislation. This office is required to “provide any technical assistance necessary for a research institution or researcher to be able to submit an application for registration for the manufacture distribution or dispensing of a controlled drug” and to “develop technology that will allow a researcher to make changes to a submission before it’s submitted.”
In addition, the measure stipulates that the National Institutes of Health would be required to form a working group within 180 days of enactment to provide recommendations on “simplifying and streamlining the registration process” to universities seeking to produce marijuana for research.
This working group must consist of at least two representatives from each of the NIH (National Institutes for Health), Food and Drug Administration, DEA and universities that have studied cannabis. The group would have to present a report containing findings and recommendations within a year to the various congressional committees.
The NIH also has 90 days after enactment, to set up a grant-funding program at the National Institute on Drug Abuse to support university research on the potential medical benefits marijuana. The bill authorizes $15 million in grants for each fiscal year between 2023 and 2027.
The program will need to give priority to grant approvals for educational institutions located in cannabis-legal jurisdictions.
In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture would need to establish a separate grant program to assist universities with “studying marijuana for agricultural purposes, including conservation, growth techniques, impacts on crops and different strains of cannabis on other crops”. The legislation authorizes an appropriation of 15 million dollars annually for USDA to give grants from fiscal years 2023-2027. Priority will be given to universities located in states where marijuana is legal, while also taking into consideration geographic diversity and minorities colleges.
The measure also stipulates that international agreements prohibiting cannabis are not construed as prohibiting or imposing additional restrictions on research or manufacturing, distribution or dispensing marijuana that is done in accordance with Controlled Substances Act.
Neguse, the original sponsor of this bill, had previously tried to protect public colleges and Universities who conduct research on marijuana by amending earlier appropriations laws, but these amendments have not been implemented.
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As more states legalize cannabis, Congress is stepping up its efforts to promote cannabis-related research.
Additional provisions are included in a controversial bill passed by the House last month that aims to criminalize fentanyl and other substances. These provisions will streamline research on Schedule I drugs, such as marijuana and psychedelics.
Some research provisions in the bill are similar with those found in a measure focusing on marijuana that President Joe Biden passed into law, last year. The U.S. Attorney General has 60 days to approve or reject a research application. The bill also provides a faster and more efficient way for researchers to request large quantities of cannabis.
Earl Blumenauer (D) and Andy Harris(R) had previously championed a distinct cannabis research bill which advanced through their chamber during the last session. The bill signed by Biden, however, does not contain a provision that scientists welcomed, which would have allowed them to access cannabis in state-legal dispensaries for study.
In recent years, the DEA has taken measures to approve of new cultivators to be used for studies.
NIDA is also soliciting proposals for a number of research initiatives that explore the use of psychedelics to treat drug abuse, with plans to fund relevant studies.
Recently, bipartisan members of Congress introduced a bill which would create an $75 million federal grant program for research into the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics in certain medical conditions among active military servicemen.
Below, you can read the text relating to the Higher Education Marijuana Research Act:
A new GOP-led bill would study the benefits of medical marijuana for veterans with PTSD
The article New Congressional Bill Authorizes $150 Million in Funds to Universities To Study Marijuana Obtained from State Agencies first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
