United States: House of Representatives approves cannabis research bill

Just a few days after voting for legalize cannabis at the federal level, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a separate bill aimed at promoting research on the plant, in particular by allowing scientists access to cannabis sold at legal dispensaries.

The unlikely duo of pro-legalization Democratic Representative Earl Blumenauer and prohibitionist Republican Representative Andy Harris are the bill's primary sponsors.

«Cannabis laws in this country are being violated, particularly those related to research,» Blumenauer told the House before the vote. «This is a narrow bill that addresses one of the many violated cannabis laws. And I want to be quick to add that this in no way negates the need to move forward with other areas of legalization… But this is, in a sense, a fundamental issue. No matter where you stand, there is no reason for the federal government to hinder this critical research.»

Harris, for his part, pointed out that he and Blumenauer likely disagree on the legalization of cannabis, but «we agree 100% that we need to conduct this research,» he said.

«Now, unfortunately, because of the public policy we’ve put in place regarding cannabis and its classification, [the research] simply couldn’t be conducted,» said Andy Harris, who is also a doctor. «You can’t do it under the current classification… It’s our fault. It shouldn’t have taken this long to get to this point.»

Currently in the United States, researchers have only been able to study cannabis if it was grown by the federal government at the University of Mississippi. However, the cannabis grown there bears very little resemblance to the products consumed on the legal market, with a quality more like hemp.

«Unfortunately, this cannabis [produced by the federal government] is different from what’s commercially available at legal dispensaries in the states, such as in my home state of Oregon,» explained Representative Greg Walden. «What does that mean? Well, it means we have little or no data on the actual health effects of products in states that have legalized cannabis for medical or recreational use.»

«We need research that reflects the reality of what's on the market,» he said.

The new bill passed by the House requires the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to authorize additional cannabis producers and to ensure that there are no limits on the number of additional entities that may be registered to cultivate cannabis for research purposes. In addition, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must submit a report to Congress within five years of the act’s enactment to review the results of federal studies on cannabis and recommend whether they warrant a change in the federal classification of cannabis.

The HHS will also have to allow legal cannabis producers to supply researchers with cannabis from dispensaries.

The proposed law would also establish a simplified registration process for researchers interested in studying cannabis, in part by reducing approval times, minimizing costly safety requirements, and eliminating additional steps in the protocol review process.