On December 2, 2023, President Biden signed the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act (H.R. 8454opens in new window) sponsored by Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR). This law will make it easier for psychologists, other scientists, and manufacturers to study the effects of marijuana, and will allow researchers to help create science-based guidelines for marijuana use.
APA Division 28 (Society for Psychopharmacology and Substance Use
) President Ryan Vandrey, PhD, an experimental psychologist and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University, says, “this is important because this is the first (of many) cannabis-related bills, in the works for years, to pass through Congress. It places much-needed structure on the review and approval process for conducting federally approved research on cannabis and cannabis-derived substances such as THC. Most important, it puts a timeline on review of new applications and expedites the approval of changes in research. Though I believe it falls short of what is needed to truly facilitate urgently needed cannabis research, it is assuring that we are now beginning to see rational policy change at the federal level.”
At the federal level, marijuana is currently designated as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act and is subject to strict study requirements. Yet cannabidiol (CBD), a chemical found in marijuana, is decriminalized, and in many states, marijuana is fully legal. This has resulted in increased access to cannabis throughout the country, yet federal research restrictions prevent the study of its effects on users or how much might be safe to use.
In October, President Biden directed the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Servicesopens in new window to review a possible reclassification of marijuana. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) plans to move other cannabis-related legislation forward in the lame duck session before the end of the year.
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