U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Brian Schatz (D-HI) recently touted the benefits of the Senate’s passage of legislation expanding scientific and medical research on marijuana and compounds that include cannabidiol.
Feinstein, Grassley, and Schatz led eight colleagues in co-sponsoring the Cannabidiol and Marihuana Research Expansion Act, which ensures CBD research and other marijuana-derived substances is based on sound science while reducing the regulatory barriers associated with conducting research on marijuana.
“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. “This important legislation will cut the red tape around the research process, helping get FDA-approved, marijuana-derived medications safely to patients.”
The legislators maintain few marijuana-derived products have been FDA-approved, and there is little information regarding interactions with other medications, appropriate doses, or delivery mechanisms.
“This bipartisan bill is critical to better understanding the marijuana plant and its potential benefits and side effects,” Grassley said. “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. 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.”
Under the legislation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are required to submit a report to Congress detailing the potential harms and benefits of marijuana use.