A Senate committee approved a report on a spending bill that contained sections that encouraged the expansion of federally funded research into marijuana and psychoedelics. The report also expressed concerns about the barriers to study that resulted from the substances’ continued Schedule I designations. The panel also noted that scientists have “limited access” to cannabis sources, and suggested that they should be allowed to study actual products that consumers purchase from state-legal marijuana dispensaries.
Last Thursday, the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced the bill, which covers funding for Fiscal Year 2024 in Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, and its report language, to the Senate floor.
The bill also prohibits federal funds from being used “for any activities that promote the legalization or any other substance listed in Schedule I” of the Controlled Substances Act, unless “significant medical evidence is provided of a therapeutic benefit.”
This is a summary of the provisions on marijuana and psychedelics in the LaborH report and bill:
The committee urges expanded research on psychedelics and advises that the National Institutes of Health should collaborate with Food and Drug Administration to create public-private partnerships in order to facilitate this research.
” Research on Psychedelics. —The Committee acknowledges the growing interest in psychedelics such as MDMA, Ketamine, and Psilocybin and their therapeutic potential. The Committee encourages NIH’s current research agenda to be expanded across all of its Institutes and Centers. This could be done by forming a cross Institute research group and encouraging psychedelics research at the NIH Clinical Center. The Committee encourages NIH and FDA to collaborate in developing public-private partnerships to advance all types of psychedelics research for therapeutic purposes.”
Senators also expressed their “concern” about state and federal cannabis policy reforms that are taking place without adequate research on the risks and benefits. The committee encourages the NIH, to this end, to expand marijuana studies.
” Cannabis Research. — The Committee is concerned about marijuana policies at the Federal and state levels (medical marijuana use, recreational marijuana use, etc.). The Committee is concerned that marijuana policies on the Federal level and in the States (medical marijuana, recreational use, etc.) are being changed without benefit of scientific research. The Committee acknowledges that there is a growing interest in cannabis and cannabinoids. The Committee encourages NIH’s Institutes and Centers to expand their current research agenda, including research on more potent THC, alternative cannabis extracts and formulations, and other minor cannabinoids. The Committee encourages NIH also to expand its research on potential medical uses of marijuana, including chronic pain, appetite stimuli, immune diseases and cancer, metabolic disorders and digestive disorders. The Committee encourages NIH’s Institutes and Centers to continue an integrated approach in cannabis research. The Committee urges NIH, finally, to continue funding a wide range of research into the health effects of cannabis and its components. This includes research to understand the impact of marijuana policies on public health.
The report again discusses the barriers to research on Schedule I drugs. This is especially true for those substances that have a high level of interest, such as marijuana and psychedelics. The committee expressed its appreciation to NIDA for finishing a report outlining study obstacles caused by scheduling complications.
The lawmakers have specifically highlighted the fact that researchers are unable to test cannabis products purchased from dispensaries operating under state law.
“Barriers To Research. — The Committee is concerned about restrictions related to Schedule I of Controlled Substances Act that limit the type and amount of research on certain Schedule I substances, including opioids, psychoedelics and marijuana or its component chemical, as well as new synthetic drugs and analogues. We should address regulatory and other obstacles to conducting research at a time when it is critical that we have as much information about these drugs as possible, including antidotes and remedies for their harmful effects. The Committee is grateful that NIDA has completed a report on barriers to research resulting from the classifications of drugs and compounds in Schedule I substances, including the challenges faced by researchers due to limited access to marijuana products including those sold at dispensaries.
In an article published by the American Medical Association, Nora Volkow, NIDA director, raised her concerns about Schedule I barriers to research for psychedelics.
The Senate’s newly approved spending bill contains a section which restricts federal funding to activities that promote legalization of Schedule I substances, except for substances that have demonstrable therapeutic benefit. Cannabis and some psychedelics may fit this description.
“SEC. 509. (a) None of the funds made available in this Act may be used for any activity that promotes the legalization of any drug or other substance included in schedule I of the schedules of controlled substances established under section 202 of the Controlled Substances Act except for normal and recognized executive-congressional communications.
(b) The restriction in subsection (a), shall not apply if there is substantial medical evidence that the drug or substance has a therapeutic benefit or if federally-sponsored clinical trials are conducted to determine a therapeutic benefit.”
Senate is on recess for a month, so the lawmakers will have to revisit the appropriations bill when they reconvene.
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Recently, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to allow Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), doctors to issue medical cannabis recommendation. They also approved a report on VA spending legislation which includes language that calls for the department to ease medical marijuana access to veterans and explore therapeutic potential of psychoedelics.
House and Senate Appropriators have also approved large-scale spending bills, which once again included language to protect medical cannabis programs in states, as well as an controversial rider that would block Washington, D.C.’s implementation of a regulated marijuana sale system.
During this time, Democratic Senators tried to pass a number of marijuana reform amendments in their version of the National Defense Authorization Act.
If adopted, a provision that prohibits intelligence agencies such as the CIA or NSA from denying applicants security clearances solely because of their previous marijuana use would be in place.
A second proposal led by Sen. Brian Schatz, D-HI, would have allowed veterans in states or territories where medical cannabis is legal to use it. This was similar a separate bill introduced by the senator in early April. However, this bill wasn’t brought up for discussion.
The full House of Representatives approved amendments last month to a large spending bill which would permit VA doctors to recommend medicinal cannabis to veterans, and promote research on substances such as psilocybin or MDMA.
The House Appropriations Committee’s report, which was attached to the spending bill, also contains a section that states that “VA clarified that VA statutes and regulations do not specifically prohibit a veteran who earns income from state-legalized marijuana activities from receiving a certificate of VA eligibility for home loan benefits.”
The recent House vote to approve the amendments is one of the few examples of progress in cannabis and psychedelics legislation within the GOP-controlled chamber. Some feared that modest proposals would be blocked by the Rules Committee after the panel recently rejected more than a dozen amendments to the NDAA.
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The first time Marijuana Moment published the article Key Senate Committee says Federal Law Blocks Marijuana And Psychedelics Research Because Of Schedule I Restrictions.
