Marijuana Research Bill Scheduled For Key Congressional Vote Next Week, Committee Announces

A bipartisan bill to promote and streamline marijuana research has been scheduled for a House committee vote next week. The Energy and Commerce Committee announced late on Friday that it will mark up the Medical Marijuana Research Act, which would accomplish two goals: First, it would establish a simplified registration process for researchers interested in studying cannabis, in part by reducing approval wait times, minimizing costly security requirements and eliminating additional layers of protocol review. Second, it would allow certified scientists to obtain research-grade cannabis from private manufacturers. That could resolve an issue identified by researchers and lawmakers, who complain that marijuana produced at the only existing federally authorized facility at the University of Mississippi is difficult to access and is chemically closer to hemp than cannabis available on the commercial market. Under the bill, which will get a committee vote on Wednesday, there would be no limit on the number of entities that can be registered to cultivate marijuana for research purposes. It would also require the Department of Health and Human Services to submit a report to Congress within five years after enactment to overview the results of federal cannabis studies and recommend whether they warrant marijuana’s rescheduling under federal law. The upcoming markup isn’t the only congressional marijuana vote that advocates are following. House leadership recently announced that there will be a floor vote on a comprehensive cannabis legalization bill later this month. The more limited marijuana research bill is being led by the unlikely duo of pro-legalization Rep.…

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Source : MJ moment
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