Stakeholders React to Medical Marijuana Research Act Moving to House Floor

Industry stakeholders by and large support the House Committee on Energy and Commerce passing on a voice vote a modified version of the Medical Marijuana Research Act of 2019. While there is no scheduled vote on the bill in the full House as of press time, the fact that the bill made it out of committee on a bipartisan vote signals a political tide change for cannabis research.

“Whatever our views on marijuana legalization as legislators, we all ought to support the collection of scientific data to guide our decisions,” tweeted Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA), a cosponsor of the bill, following the Sept. 9 committee vote. “This bipartisan legislation would make long-overdue improvements to the Fed Govt’s policies on marijuana research. It would advance the work of scientists and provide more reliable information about any benefits and harmful consequences that result from medicinal marijuana use.”

The Medical Marijuana Research Act would amend the Controlled Substances Act to establish a new, separate registration process to facilitate research with cannabis for medical purposes; direct the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue guidelines on the production of cannabis from authorized researchers and manufacturers; ensure all medical cannabis researchers are in compliance with FDA drug development standards; and make available cannabis from state-authorized cannabis programs, under certain conditions.