{"id":53785,"date":"2022-03-24T11:56:28","date_gmt":"2022-03-24T19:56:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/03\/24\/u-s-senate-unanimously-approves-marijuana-reform-bill-on-same-day-that-house-schedules-legalization-vote\/"},"modified":"2022-03-24T13:45:28","modified_gmt":"2022-03-24T21:45:28","slug":"u-s-senate-unanimously-approves-marijuana-reform-bill-on-same-day-that-house-schedules-legalization-vote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/03\/24\/u-s-senate-unanimously-approves-marijuana-reform-bill-on-same-day-that-house-schedules-legalization-vote\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Senate Unanimously Approves Marijuana Reform Bill On Same Day That House Schedules Legalization Vote"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Senate on Thursday unanimously approved a marijuana bill\u2014but 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\u2019s a modest bipartisan piece of legislation that\u2019s simply meant to promote research into marijuana.<\/p>\n

The bill\u2014sponsored by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA)\u2014is titled the Cannabidiol and Marihuana Research Expansion Act. It cleared the full chamber unanimously, without debate.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cCurrent rules and regulations make it hard for researchers to study how marijuana and marijuana-derived medications can best be used to treat various conditions,\u201d Feinstein said in a press release. \u201cThis important legislation will cut the red-tape around the research process, helping get FDA-approved, marijuana-derived medications safely to patients.\u201d<\/p>\n

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JUST IN: The Senate passed my bill with Senators Grassley and Schatz to cut red tape around the research process of marijuana and marijuana-derived medications. This will help get FDA-approved, marijuana-derived medications safety to patients.https:\/\/t.co\/Oen5M8IkjH<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Senator Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) March 24, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Grassley said that the legislation \u201cis critical to better understanding the marijuana plant and its potential benefits and side effects.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt 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,\u201d he said. \u201cResearching marijuana is widely supported by my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and it\u2019s a smart step forward in addressing this current schedule I drug.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schatz said that the \u201cmedical community agrees that we need more research to learn about marijuana\u2019s potential health benefits, but our federal laws today are standing in the way of us finding those answers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

An earlier version of the bill also unanimously passed the Senate<\/a> in 2020. It was reintroduced in February 2021<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014
\nMarijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,000 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills<\/a> in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters<\/a> pledging at least $25\/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don\u2019t miss any developments.<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/a>
\nLearn more about our marijuana bill tracker<\/a> and become a supporter on Patreon<\/a> to get access.
\n\u2014<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

In general, the first section of the\u00a0bill\u00a0concerns the application process for institutions seeking federal authorization to research marijuana. The U.S. attorney general would be given a 60-day deadline to either approve a given application or request supplemental information from the applicant. It would also create an expedited pathway for researchers who request larger quantities of Schedule I drugs.<\/p>\n

The second major section of the bill is about FDA approval of marijuana-derived drugs. One way to encourage such developments is through allowing \u201caccredited medical and osteopathic schools, practitioners, research institutions, and manufacturers with a Schedule I registration\u201d to cultivate their own cannabis for research purposes, a summary says.<\/p>\n

The Drug Enforcement Administration would get a mandate to approve applications to be manufacturers of marijuana-derived, FDA-approved drugs under the bill. Manufacturers would also be allowed to import cannabis materials to facilitate research into the plant\u2019s therapeutic potential.<\/p>\n

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Finally, a fourth section would require HHS to look at the health benefits and risks of marijuana as well as policies that are inhibiting research into cannabis that\u2019s grown in legal states and provide recommendations on overcoming those barriers.<\/p>\n

The bill further states that it \u201cshall not be a violation of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) for a State-licensed physician to discuss\u201d the risk and benefits of marijuana and cannabis-derived products with patients.<\/p>\n

Prior to final passage on Thursday, the Senate adopted an amendment to remove a provision of the bill that would have altered federal law to clarify that the definition of marijuana does not include \u201cthe synthetic equivalent of hemp-derived cannabidiol that contains less than 0.3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol.\u201d<\/p>\n

A separate piece of cannabis research legislation\u00a0cleared the House in 2020<\/a>.\u00a0A major difference in the respective bills is that the House-passed measure contained provisions that would allow scientists to obtain cannabis from state-legal dispensaries for research purposes. That was designed to help them avoid depending on marijuana that\u2019s produced at the only federally authorized manufacturing facility at the University of Mississippi.<\/p>\n

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News: This Senate just unanimously passed a bill to expand scientific and medical research on cannabis and encourage federal research into CBD.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) March 24, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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The\u00a0bill\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0other original cosponsors include Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).<\/p>\n

The\u00a0proposal<\/a>\u00a0has been\u00a0endorsed<\/a>\u00a0by mainstream medical organizations like American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, American Psychological Association and American Society of Addiction Medicine, as well as pro-legalization groups such as Americans for Safe Access, Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies and NORML.<\/p>\n

Separately, Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate introduced legislation in December 2021 that would also seek to make it easier for scientists to research Schedule I drugs<\/a> like marijuana and psilocybin.<\/p>\n

The Senate passage of this marijuana research bill comes on the same day that House leadership put a separate measure to federally legalize marijuana and promote social equity in the industry on a list of bills up for a floor vote next week<\/a>. That legislation\u2014the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)\u2014passed the House in 2020. The new version also advanced through Nadler\u2019s panel in September 2021.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, advocates and stakeholders are eagerly awaiting the formal introduction of a separate Senate legalization bill that\u2019s being finalized by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) etc. Schumer\u00a0recently said the plan is to file that bill<\/a>\u2014the\u00a0Cannabis Administration & Opportunity Act (CAOA)\u2014in April.<\/p>\n

Also in Congress, a separate bill to tax and regulate marijuana is also in play this session. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) is sponsoring that legislation, and she said in a recent interview that she\u2019s received assurances from Democratic leaders that\u00a0her States Reform Act will receive a hearing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Read the text of the amendment to the cannabis research bill that the Senate adopted:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Federal Marijuana Legalization Bill Officially Scheduled For House Floor Vote Next Week<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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The post U.S. Senate Unanimously Approves Marijuana Reform Bill On Same Day That House Schedules Legalization Vote<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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The Senate on Thursday unanimously approved a marijuana bill\u2014but 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\u2019s a modest bipartisan piece of legislation that\u2019s simply meant to promote research into marijuana. The bill\u2014sponsored byContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":53786,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81,126],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53785"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53785"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53785\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53787,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53785\/revisions\/53787"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}