Michael J. Fox Parkinson’s Foundation Urges Congress To Pass Three Marijuana Research Bills

A leading advocacy group that’s dedicated to finding treatment options for Parkinson’s disease is backing three pieces of marijuana research legislation in Congress. The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF)—named after the actor, who has Parkinson’s and established the nonprofit—said last week that lifting barriers to cannabis research, including rescheduling the plant under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), is necessary to promote studies verifying marijuana’s potential therapeutic benefit for conditions such as Parkinson’s patients. “The MJFF supports increased access to cannabis for medical research. Congress has begun to recognize this need, and there are several bills in the U.S. House and Senate designed to remove barriers that impede safe and legal access to cannabis by medical researchers,” the foundation said on its website. “The MJFF public policy team is tracking these bills and working to educate members of Congress and their staff on their importance to the Parkinson’s community.” MJFF said it’s in favor of three marijuana bills, which would accomplish the following:  Medical Cannabis Research Act —Require the Justice Department to approve additional manufacturers for research-grade cannabis. —Protect research institutions that conduct studies on marijuana. —Authorize the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to inform patients about opportunities to participate in federally authorized cannabis studies. VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act —Require VA to conduct studies into the therapeutic potential of marijuana in the treatment of various conditions that commonly afflict veterans such as chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder. Expanding Cannabis Research and Information Act —Reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the CSA. —Free up universities to conduct studies on cannabis by removing certain regulatory requirements. In a letter to the Senate sponsor of that last piece of legislation, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), in June, the foundation stated that marijuana’s current classification under federal law and the…

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Source : MJ moment
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