Medical Marijuana Research Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Medical Marijuana Research Act, legislation that would modernize Federal rules and procedures to facilitate additional medical research into the impacts of medical marijuana.

We have seen dramatic changes in the legal status of marijuana at the State level, my State included. Sales of recreational marijuana began in my home State of Michigan in 2019, and medical marijuana is now legal in 37 States. However, the Federal framework for conducting marijuana research is decades old and has not kept pace with these changes.

Currently, scientists in the United States looking to conduct research on marijuana must contend with a heavy-handed, duplicative registration and licensure process. Additionally, researchers are limited to using marijuana grown at a single location overseen by the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the University of Mississippi.

Collectively, these outdated, bureaucratic barriers and Federal roadblocks greatly limit our understanding of the health impacts of marijuana and prevent qualified researchers from engaging in further study.

The Medical Marijuana Research Act will modernize the cumbersome process by streamlining marijuana research registration applications. It will also direct FDA to issue guidelines on the production of marijuana and ensure that adequate amounts are available for research.

The legislation also mandates a comprehensive review of the available body of research on marijuana by the Secretary of Health and Human Services 5 years after enactment.

I thank my colleagues, Representatives Blumenauer, Harris, Norton, Cohen, Griffith, Barbara Lee, and Case, who led this with me to get this legislation passed.

Additionally, I recognize Chairman Pallone and Ranking Member Rodgers of Washington, as well as the Energy and Commerce Committee staff, for their very thoughtful input and efforts.

Madam Speaker, it is high time we modernize our Nation's Federal regulations to facilitate legitimate medical research into the impacts of marijuana, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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