Just pumping news though play the news.
The Senate on Thursday unanimously approved a marijuana bill—but not the federal legalization measure that advocates have been eagerly awaiting Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to bring to the floor. Rather, it’s a modest bipartisan piece of legislation that’s simply meant to promote research into marijuana.
The bill—sponsored by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA)—is titled the Cannabidiol and Marihuana Research Expansion Act. It cleared the full chamber unanimously, without debate.
It would streamline the application process for researchers who want to study the plant and to encourage the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to develop cannabis-derived medicines.
It would also clarify that physicians are allowed to discuss the risks and benefits of marijuana with patients and require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to submit a report on those potential health benefits, as well one on barriers to cannabis research and how to overcome those obstacles.
“Current rules and regulations make it hard for researchers to study how marijuana and marijuana-derived medications can best be used to treat various conditions,” Feinstein said in a press release. “This important legislation will cut the red-tape around the research process, helping get FDA-approved, marijuana-derived medications safely to patients.”
Grassley said that the legislation “is critical to better understanding the marijuana plant and its potential benefits and side effects.”
“It will empower the FDA to analyze CBD and medical marijuana products in a safe and responsible way so that the American public can decide whether to utilize them in the future based on sound scientific data,” he said. “Researching marijuana is widely supported by my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and it’s a smart step forward in addressing this current schedule I drug.”
Schatz said that the “medical community agrees that we need more research to learn about marijuana’s potential health benefits, but our federal laws today are standing in the way of us finding those answers.
“We are now one step closer to removing excessive barriers that make it difficult for researchers to study the effectiveness and safety of marijuana, and hopefully, give patients more treatment options,” he said.
An earlier version of the bill also unanimously passed the Senate in 2020. It was reintroduced in February 2021.