Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, and leader of the committee, Frank Pallone.

H.R. 8454 is an important bill, and it is interesting to hear the conversation here on the floor. Mr. Carter was talking about the history that you couldn't get marijuana rescheduled because they didn't have enough research, and you can't get the research because it is scheduled as a schedule I drug, so we have been trapped in this vortex where we can't get the information.

I, too, am against recreational marijuana. But for medical marijuana, I think it has a great benefit. For years, we have been in this trap where you couldn't do sufficient research, therefore you couldn't reschedule it. It is crazy. We are going to fix it here today.

My belief is that medical marijuana can be beneficial when used in a proper setting. Despite the increasing use of cannabis products around the country, there have been very few legitimate peer-reviewed studies to determine the effect of cannabis on the body.

We know it does some good anecdotally for patients with juvenile seizures. What we don't know is how much THC has to be in the cannabidiol to make it effective. This is what we need research for.

This bill allows us to obtain approval to conduct cannabis research and obtain quality product, not just one strain out of Mississippi, but multiple products, quality products, monitored by the Government, to make sure it is not being misused, to be used in this research.

It encourages research by improving and streamlining the registration process for marijuana. It also ensures the availability of verified cannabis products necessary for legitimate research by allowing approved institutions of higher education, practitioners, and manufacturers to manufacture and distribute marijuana for the purpose of conducting research.

As someone who has advocated for this legislation for years, I appreciate the work that has been done to get us here today.

Whatever position you may have on marijuana use, you need to know that this bill will allow us to come together and support more scientific research so that we can make informed decisions as we move forward as legislators.

I have to tell you, being here live as a legislator is also important, because the genesis of this bill was several conversations that took place on the floor of this House when people who disagree on the underlying issue would argue about what research showed. It finally became clear to Representative Blumenauer, to Representative Harris, to myself, and to others, that we had to have more research in order to get the right answers for the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I urge everyone to support H.R. 8454.

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