Bipartisan congressional lawmakers have reintroduced a bill to set a federal marijuana research agenda and create a designation of “Centers of Excellence in Cannabis Research” for universities to carry out cannabis studies with federal grant money. The measure would require the National Institutes on Health (NIH) to collaborate with other agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to develop “a national cannabis research agenda that addresses key questions and gaps in evidence.”
That agenda must include six primary research objectives. For example, the agencies must prioritize studies into the safety and efficacy of cannabis in the treatment of multiple conditions such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, chemotherapy-related pain and nausea, as well as the use of marijuana as an opioid alternative.
NIH would have the authority to issue grants or enter into cooperative research agreements with up to 10 Centers of Excellence in Cannabis Research, and they’d be able to distribute $50 million for each fiscal year from 2024 to 2028. The goal is to increase federal cannabis research and to also provide these universities all of the tools needed to do these studies without them having to worry about any delays federally.
